A Matter Of Pride
by gleefulmia
Summary: At a time when society decides who you should marry, they manage to find love against the odds.
1. Prologue

A Matter Of Pride

So being that Who's That Girl is going to be coming to an end shortly, I thought I'd get a head start on my newest story. I got this idea after watching Pride and Prejudice for the millionth time (can't help it, it's a fave). It is a period piece, set around the 1880s. This is completely AU.

The Berry/Schuester Family Background:

Shelby Berry was married to Hiram Berry at the age of just 17. At the age of 19, she found herself pregnant with the couple's only child, a daughter they named Rachel Barbra Berry. When Rachel was just 6 months old, Hiram died from a Scarlet Fever outbreak. Shelby was left a widow with a tiny baby, something society tended to look down on. One day she met William Schuester, a widowed man with 2 young daughter: 2 year old Quinn, and 1 year old Brittany. Six months after they met, Will and Shelby married, bringing their 2 families together. Will took Rachel in as his own, and she knows him as her father, just as his two girls know Shelby as their mother.

Rachel Berry: now 18 years old. She is fiesty and determined and considered strange in the eyes of others for her ideas that women should be treated equally to men and that she should not be forced to marry a man she doesn't love.

Quinn Schuester: 20 years old, is considered the beautiful one who is the pride and joy of the family. Her father is determined to see her married into a wealthy family. She, unlike Rachel, is very passive and easy going, yet the two sisters are very close.

Brittany Schuester: 19 years old, like her sister Quinn, is considered beautiful, but for some reason she doesn't seem to follow in Quinn's footsteps when it comes to boys. She doesn't have a problem with getting boys to court her, she just seems to ignore them altogether, deciding to dedicate her time to the family animals instead.

Maggie Schuester: The only biological daughter of both Shelby and Will. She is 15 years old and is a romantic at heart. She's envious of her older sisters who receive the attention of all the boys in town. Her dream is to get married to someone rich and live the lifestyle her parents never really seemed to be able to give the family. They weren't exactly a poor family, but they definitely were not among the wealthiest either.

The Hudson-Hummel Family

Kurt's father married Finn's mother when Finn and Kurt were just 7 years old. When the boys were just 11, their parents died in a terrible car accident. Kurt's father's rich sister, Sue, takes the boys in, although reluctantly.

Finn Hudson: 20 years old, is supposed to be courting Quinn, but what will happen when he and Rachel meet? Will sparks fly?

Kurt Hummel: 20 years old. He is interested in men, yet no one knows yet. What will happen when he meets Blaine Anderson?

Other characters:

Santana Lopez: 18 years old, Rachel's best friend since childhood. The two girls grew up together, and share ideals about societies inequality issue, Santana's is for different reasons though. She likes women.

Blaine Anderson: The son of the town's mayor, he comes from one of the wealthiest families around. Nobody knows he is gay yet. What will happen when he meets Kurt?

Noah "Puck" Puckerman: He is the town troublemaker. He is 22 years old, from a poor family and he sets his eyes on Quinn right from the start.

The couples are: Finchel, Brittana, Klaine and Quick, with a little Shell thrown in as well. Sorry guys, as much as I am a Wemma fan, it just wouldn't work with this story. Finchel, of course, will be the main couple. The others will be features, just not as heavily.


	2. Chapter 1

A Matter Of Pride

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the storyline :)

Chapter 1

"Morning Mr. Burrows!" 18 year old Rachel Berry exclaimed as she skipped past the town grocer on her way home from the market.

"Morning Miss. Rachel." The man said kindly to the young woman that he had known since she was a baby. "On your way home I see."

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "It's my sister, Maggie's birthday."

"Is it now? Well why don't you take her home a gift from me." He handed her over a paper bag. Rachel looked inside and saw that it contained gum drops, her sister's favorite candy.

"Thank you sir. Maggie will love this." Rachel said happily.

"You're very welcome my dear, say hello to your mother and father for me will you?" He asked.

She nodded happily and went on her way. Her home was about a mile out of the town of Lima, Ohio. It was a town made up of primarily Irish settlers, who were mainly middle class. There were a few rich people in the area, however, who lived in mansions on large plots of land a few miles north of town. Rachel's home was considered average, her family wasn't starving, but they weren't exactly well of either.

Her step-father (although she had been brought up knowing him as her father), William Schuster, was the school teacher for kids in grades 9-12. He made a decent living and his hours were good as well. Her mother, Shelby, was a homemaker who taught music classes on the side to a few privileged children. Rachel and all 3 of her sisters had been taking music classes from a young age. Brittany, Rachel's second oldest sister, wasn't much for the singing aspect, but she loved dancing.

As Rachel was walking home she spotted a fancy carriage on the side of the rode that had a wheel missing. There were 2 men, dressed in fancy clothes, attempting to fix the problem.

"Excuse me, are you ok?" Rachel asked the men. One was very tall and well built, he was turned away so Rachel couldn't get a could look at his face, but the other was shorter with a sweet, almost porcelain like face. It looked like he kept himself well groomed, which was strange for a man, but Rachel didn't think much of it.

"We're having a little trouble with our carriage. The wheel fell off just as we were driving into town." The shorter one answered. "I supposed that's where you were coming from?"

Rachel nodded. "I'm just on my way home now. Is there anything you need help with? I don't know a lot about fixing things, seeing as I am a girl, but I might be of some help. I'm Rachel...Rachel Berry." She held out her hand.

"Kurt Hummel and this is my step-brother, Finn Hudson." Kurt pointed to the tall man who finally turned around from inspecting the carriage, to face her.

Rachel had to bite back a gasp. He was more handsome than she thought. He had dark, slightly unkept hair, and a young looking face. His eyes were caramel colored, he had freckles that dotted his nose and when he smiled, his dimples popped from his cheeks. He was by far the handsomest man Rachel had seen.

"Very nice to meet you both." Rachel smiled politely.

"Likewise." Finn greeted by bringing her hand to his mouth, and placing a kiss on the back of it, sending butterflies fluttering in Rachel's stomach, something that had never really happened to her before. Her sisters always talked about it happening, but Rachel was far to busy with other things to think much about boys.

"If you like, you can follow me back to my house, it's only a little up the road, much closer than town. My father is there and he can give you a ride into town to get help for your carriage." Rachel said.

"Are you sure?" Finn asked. He didn't want her father getting any wrong ideas. Two men following a young girl home might not sit so well with the man.

"It's fine, my father won't mind." Rachel assured them.

"Thank you, Miss. Berry." Kurt smiled in appreciation. "I promise we will repay you for your kindness."

"It's no problem. Just me helping out 2 new friends." Rachel said as the 3 began walking. "So where are you both from if you don't mind me asking? I've lived in this town all my life and I've never seen you here."

"We came here from Cinncinnati. We live with our Aunt, but she wanted us to come here to meet some friends of hers." Kurt explained.

"Oh, maybe I know them. What are their names?" Rachel asked.

"The Schusters. Our Aunt went to school with William Schuster." Finn answered this time.

"T..that's my father, well step-father I mean. I've never heard him speak of you two." Rachel said in shock. "Who's your Aunt?"

"Sue Sylvester." Kurt said.

"The Sue Sylvester? The one who owns the Cinncinnati Reporter?" Rachel gasped. "I love that paper, it's so ahead of its time with its ideas."

"That would be her." Kurt laughed. "And thank you, I am one of the editors of that paper and Finn here does some of the illustrations."

Rachel spent the next 10 minutes gushing until they arrived at her family's home. "Here we are."

"It's pretty. I love the setting with all the trees." Kurt said.

"Thank you, we try to take good care of it." Rachel said, glad to see someone took the time to notice how beautiful the home really was.

"Mama? I'm home." Rachel called upon entering the house, Kurt and Finn trailing behind nervously.

"Rachel dear, there is no need to shout." Shelby scolded her daughter. "Who do we have here?"

Rachel blushed before turning to face the two men. "This is Finn Hudson and his step-brother, Kurt Hummel. Apparently they know father."

Shelby nodded, seeming to understand what her daughter was talking about. "It is nice to finally meet you both."

"Likewise." Finn smiled at the older woman. He found it uncanny how much she looked like Rachel. Both had dark hair and dark, brown eyes and a larger nose that somehow fit their faces perfectly. Rachel's complexion, however, was darker, something she must have inherited from her father. He thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"William, you have some guests." Shelby called out to her husband who was in the barn tending to the family's horses.

He walked out upon seeing his company. He put his hands out the shake both Kurt and Finn's hands. "Good to meet you. Your Aunt speaks highly of you both."

"Does she?" Kurt asked surprised. It was no secret to either Finn or Kurt that their Aunt resented them both and couldn't wait to get them both married so they would leave her in peace. It was a big part of the reason they were here.

"She says your both very responsible, hard-working men." William said with a grin.

"Thank you sir." Finn smiled uneasily, not used to hearing compliments that apparently came from his Aunt.

"Father, Kurt and Finn had some carriage trouble up the road, I told them you would help them fix it." Rachel said.

William nodded and showed the boys to his wagon, before hitching up a horse and taking them in the direction of their broken carriage.

"What exactly are Finn and Kurt doing here Mama?" Rachel asked. For some reason she couldn't get Finn out of her mind. "Are they here to observe Father for their studies?"

Shelby laughed a little. "No dear. Kurt is here to get some inspiration for a story he is writing. Finn is here to court your sister, Quinn."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Rachel stared at her mother in shock, thinking she had heard her wrong. "Did you just say that Finn is here to court Quinn?" She was sure it had to be a mistake.

"Yes dear, you heard right. He is here for your sister. Now please go wash up and set the table." Shelby instructed.

Rachel huffed and turned around to head for the bathroom, which was of course outside the house. They, unfortunately, didn't have the luxury of having an indoor one like the fancier homes on the other side of town.

She couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Finn was here to court her sister. It didn't seem right, he wasn't Quinn's type at all, not that Quinn really had a type. He just didn't seem like a good match for Quinn. Rachel knew it was silly and uncharacteristic of her, but she thought that Finn was more her type. From the moment they had met, she felt like she could open up to him. She could see herself with him.

Damn arranged marriages, they were not fair at all. What happened to all those love stories she read about in books? Did they even exist or was it simply the imagination or wishful thinking of someone much like herself? Rachel knew if someone was going to marry for love, it would be her. She wouldn't settle for anything less.

_Finn and Quinn._ There name's ran through her mind over and over. The fact that their names even rhymed was further proof to Rachel that they didn't belong together. _That is just stupid. _Rachel thought.

Rachel washed herself up and did as her mother asked and set the table for dinner as her sisters, Maggie and Brittany, brought out the food.

"Where's Quinn?" Rachel questioned her mother. "Why isn't she helping with this?"

"Quinn is making herself presentable so she can be introduced to Finn." Shelby explained. "Why don't you go see if she's ready?"

Rachel nodded and obediently ran up stairs to the room she shared with her eldest sister. Brittany and Maggie each had their own room, but because Quinn and Rachel were so close, they shared.

"Quinn?" Rachel called upon entering the room, spotting her sister sitting in front of the vanity. "Mother sent me up to check on you."

"I'm almost ready." Quinn assured her sister. "How do I look?" She asked turning around. She was wearing a light blue dress that complemented her skin tone and her hair was pinned up.

"You look beautiful." Rachel assured the girl. "You just need one thing." Rachel ran to her side of the bed and opened the nightstand drawer, pulling out a light blue ribbon that would match Quinn's dress perfectly. Rachel tied it in her sister's hair and turned Quinn to look in the mirror. "There...perfect."

"Thanks Rach." Quinn smiled. "Have you met him?"

"Who? Finn?" Rachel asked.

Quinn nodded looking anxious.

"Yes. He's very handsome and charming. I'm sure you will get along with him just fine." Rachel said, finding herself feeling very envious of her sister. She had never felt like this before and she didn't understand why. He was just a man.

_A very handsome, sweet man. _Her inner voice reminded her. She knew Quinn was the pride and joy of her family, the beautiful one that made her parents proud. Rachel was like the ugly step-sister compared to Quinn. At least that was how she felt. Quinn was blonde, green eyed with beautiful porcelain-like skin. She looked like a doll. Rachel had dark brown hair, brown eyes and an olive complexion that many found strange, not to mention a rather large nose.

Quinn was very prim and proper, she always did what was asked of her, never once going against it. Rachel was the opposite. She fought tooth and nail when it came to her beliefs. She had been that way since she was a child. Her mother had tried to tell her that it wasn't proper to be that way, that she needed to do what she was told without arguments, otherwise she would be shunned by society.

"Rachel, are you ok?" Quinn asked seeing the far off look on her sister's face. "You don't look so good."

Rachel snapped out of her thoughts and nodded at her sister. "I'm fine Quinny."

"Good, now come on, I want to meet the man who is supposed to be my future husband." Quinn's smile shined through her nervousness.

Rachel nodded, grabbed her sister's hand and walked down the stairs to find Finn and Kurt standing at the entrance talking to her father.

"Well would you look at that, right on cue." Will beamed at his daughter. "Quinn, you look beautiful."

"Thank you father." Quinn smiled. She was a total daddy's girl, and it showed. She did whatever she could to please him.

"Finn, Kurt I'd like you to meet the last of my wonderful daughters, Quinn." William said and took her arm, dragging her towards Finn.

Rachel watched them both, especially Finn. He smiled politely and kissed Quinn's hand, just as he had done with her when they first met. He complemented her appearance, as did Kurt and then accompanied her to the dinner table. Rachel couldn't be sure, but there was something that wasn't right. Finn's eyes just didn't seem to light up with Quinn the way they did when he talked to her. That was a good sign, right?

Rachel followed her father into the dining room and sat down in her seat between Brittany and Maggie. Brittany was busy telling her father about the colt that had just been born to one of their many horses.

Rachel felt Maggie elbow her in the ribs. "Ow." She shrieked, throwing a glare towards her younger sister. "What is it Mags?"

"Look at them." Maggie nudged her head towards Finn and Quinn. "They look adorable together. Imagine what their kids will look like."

Rachel rolled her eyes at her little sister's romantic ideals. For some reason Rachel had always imagined Maggie being the first one to marry, even if she was just 15. Quinn, although beautiful, was very shy around men. Brittany didn't care about them at all and Rachel was too caught up in other things to care before meeting Finn. Maggie loved boys and had from a young age. As a child she would chase boys around the school yard, trying to kiss them, which got her punished more than once. She was one of those girls who had had their wedding planned out since the age of 3.

"I'd rather not." Rachel told her sister who just frowned at her in return.

"So father, did you give any more thought to going to the Grand Ball?" Maggie asked hopefully. She had been begging to go for weeks.

William rolled his eyes at his youngest daughter, but gave her a smile nonetheless. "I have and I managed to get us all tickets to the big event. The mayor owed me a favor or two."

"Yes!" Maggie said jumping up and down excitedly in her seat.

"That will be all Margaret." Shelby said sternly. "Mind your manners."

"Yes mother." The young girl sat still.

"What is this Grand Ball?" Kurt asked, looking oddly excited for the event. It wasn't something most men got excited about.

"It's this big party at the Mayor's Mansion that happens once a year." William explained. "Usually only the rich people are invited, but this year we are all going."

Kurt's eyes lit up as he nudged his brother. "Did you hear that Finn, we get to dress up."

Rachel looked towards Finn who looked less than excited at the prospect. "Great." He muttered looking more interested in his dinner plate.

"When is it?" Kurt asked.

"This weekend." Maggie said. "And it will be the most magical night ever."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 4

"I have no idea what to wear." Rachel frowned as she looked in her closet at the few nice dresses she owned. All of them looked worn and boring. She wanted something that would make her stand out for once, something that would set her apart from the other girls at the ball.

"What about your green one?" Quinn suggested. "It'll compliment your complexion."

Rachel pulled the dress out as she mulled over it. "I guess it could work."

"Wait! I think I might have something even better for you." Quinn said as she ran to her side of the closet pulling out a silver colored dress that seemed to sparkle in the light. "This will look perfect on you, and it's too small for me. I've never even worn it."

Rachel eyed the dress and beamed at her older sister. "I love it." She shrieked. It was exactly what she was looking for.

"Good, now go get changed and I will do your hair." Quinn instructed.

"What about you?" Rachel asked.

"Kurt is actually helping me with that." Quinn said with a laugh. "That boy is different, but I like him."

Rachel nodded. "He's a very nice man. Finn is as well."

Quinn agreed. "I only wish Finn would talk more. He's so quiet, I don't know what he is thinking or feeling for that matter."

"Funny." Rachel commented. "He didn't seem quiet to me at all."

"Maybe it's just me then." Quinn shrugged. "Now go get ready." She gave Rachel a little shove.

2 Hours later the family sat in the kitchen anxiously waiting for Will to hitch up the carriage.

"Are Finn and Kurt not escorting us to the ball?" Maggie whispered to Rachel.

Rachel shook her head. "They will meet us there. Father told them he didn't want them to have to come all the way out here when they would just be going back to town afterwards"

"Oh." Maggie sighed.

"Is everyone ready?" Will asked upon entering the house. "Look at all my beautiful girls." He gushed pinching Quinn and Brittany's cheeks.

"We are ready." Shelby assured him before reaching over and tying the ribbon tighter around Rachel's waist. "Rachel dear, you need this to show off your figure."

Rachel rolled her eyes. She knew she didn't have the body her older sister's did, but she really wished everyone would quit reminding her of that fact. "It's fine mother."

When they arrived at the ball they were immediately taken aback by all the beautiful lights of the building. They had never seen it lit up this much. There were people everywhere, dressed to impress. Rachel saw a few girls she had went to school with, all of whom had boys on their arms. Was it really just her who had nobody? Well she knew Brittany didn't, but that was just the way Brittany was...different.

"This is so amazing." Maggie said, excitement very evident in her tone. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful before?"

"It's just a party, Mags." Rachel reminded her sister.

"Look, there's Kurt and Finn." Brittany said pointing over to the two men, who approached the family with ease now that they had all been properly aquainted. Kurt and Finn both took turns kissing the hands of each girl, and for a second Rachel swore that Finn's lips lingered on her's long than anyone elses. She decided it must have been just a figment of her overactive imagination.

"Rachel, over here." Rachel turned her attention away from Finn and Quinn when she heard her name being called, and immediately recognized the voice.

"Hello Santana." Rachel greeted. Santana Lopez was the daughter of one of the town's most prominent doctors. She had also been Rachel's best friend for years.

"Fancy seeing you here." Santana said.

"The mayor owed a favor to my father, so here we are." Rachel explained. "Are your parents here? My parents will want to say hi."

"They're here somewhere." Santana shrugged. "So who are they?" She pointed to Finn and Kurt. "I don't think I've seen them around here before."

"That's Kurt Hummel and Finn Hudson. They're aquaintances of my father's. Kurt is here to get inspiration for a story he is writing and Finn is here for Quinn." Rachel said, and Santana immediately picked up on the change in Rachel's expression.

"He's here to court Quinn? And your jealous of her?" Santana said with a smirk on her face.

"I am not." Rachel insisted stubbornly, but her sad eyes gave her away.

"Oh please, it's written all over your face." Santana said smugly. "Rachel Berry is jealous of her sister over a boy. I never thought I'd see the day."

Rachel immediately grabbed Santana by the elbow and pulled her over to a quieter area. "Ok so maybe I'm a little jealous. It's just that he is so perfect and kind and sweet."

"Not to mention handsome." Santana added.

"That too." Rachel agreed. "Why does it have to be that the one man I have ever taken an interest in is the one man that I can't have."

"It's like a story out of one of those books you always used to read." Santana laughed, but stopped after seeing the hurt look on her friend's face. "I'm sorry Rach. Maybe he is not interested in Quinn."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Like that matters. My parents insist that marrying for love is a myth to most people. They made a deal with Finn's Aunt and that was that he would court Quinn, and that is all that matters. Feelings are nothing."

"I understand what you mean." Santana said, stealing a glance over at Brittany.

"I'm sorry San." Rachel apologized. She sometimes forgot that she was the only one who knew of her friend's true feelings. It was part of the reason they were such good friends. They both have strange ideals. Rachel's were usually more about equality, while Santana's were that she wasn't really into men. It was something most would find odd, but Rachel just accepted it. After all, she was quickly learning that you can't control who you fall in love with. "I really wish you could tell Britt, I'm pretty sure she feels the same way."

Santana nodded her head sadly.

"Excuse me, am I interrupting something?" Rachel heard a familiar voice over her shoulder and turned her head to see Finn standing in her periphery.

"Finn, hi!" She exclaimed, her face lighting up at the sight of him. She looked to Santana who was smiling at the two. "This is my friend Santana, San this is Finn Hudson."

"It's good to meet you Mr. Hudson. I've heard a lot about you from Rachel." Santana said, showing a side of her that Rachel didn't see often. Her polite side.

"Likewise." Finn said, kissing her hand like a gentleman before smiling over at Rachel. "I was wondering if you'd like to dance with me."

Rachel stared at him wide-eyed. "You're asking me to dance?"

Finn nodded.

"But what about Quinn? Where is she?" Rachel asked.

"Your mother took her to freshen up after she spotted something that made her upset." Finn said with a confused look in his eyes.

"Oh." Rachel nodded, immediately knowing what it was that Quinn was upset about. "Still, your here to court her, you probably shouldn't be seen with me."

"But what if I want to be?" Finn asked.

"Finn, my parents will be angry if they catch us." Rachel reminded him.

"Why should they be? I can dance with a beautiful girl if I so choose to." Finn persisted.

"You think I'm beautiful?" Rachel blushed. He smiled and nodded.

"OH for heaven sakes, Rachel go." Santana said with a gentle shove. "Give the man a break."

Rachel laughed before giving her friend a goodbye hug, and nudging her towards Brittany who was standing alone on the side of the dancefloor. "If I do this, then you do that." She whispered in her friend's ear.

Santana nodded, before pushing her back towards Finn.

"Come along then." Rachel said hooking her arm through his.

Alright, so that is chapter 4 for you. It's part 1 of the ball. I really hope everyone is enjoying this story so far :) Please read and review.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Finn couldn't believe how perfectly Rachel fit into his arms. She was so tiny and he was so large, that it would seem like they shouldn't fit, but somehow they did. He felt like he could protect her from all things evil in this world. He knew that the real reason he was here was to court Rachel's sister Quinn, but somehow the petite brunette girl had found her way under his skin and into her heart. It wasn't that he didn't like Quinn. She was beautiful and she seemed sweet enough, if not a little quiet. Rachel just did something to him with her fiery and outgoing personality.

"Are you having a good time?" Rachel asked staring up at him, with her hands placed in his as they glided slowly around the room.

"The best." Finn nodded. "They don't have parties like this where I'm from, well not really."

"What do you mean?" Rachel asked curiously. "I'm sure the parties in the big city are much grander than this."

"I just mean that it's nice that everyone here knows everyone else. It means there isn't nearly as much small talk, which is something I'm not great with." Finn explained.

Rachel nodded. "I guess I can understand. There's a lot more gossip and slander here though, and because everyone knows eachother, it makes it all that much worse."

"Really? What kinds of slanderous things happen in Lima?" Finn asked.

Rachel looked around the room and pointed at a woman the entire town had been buzzing about 2 months prior. "That's Susan Rhyerson. Her husband was Sandy Rhyerson, and he was found dead a few months ago. There was talk that she committed the murder after she found him cheating on her with another man."

"Why isn't she in jail?" Finn asked.

"There wasn't enough evidence to prove she had anything to do with it, besides Sandy wasn't especially liked in this town. He was rather strange."

Finn nodded in understanding. "You've proven your point." He said with a laugh. "You're a very good dancer."

Rachel blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, I took lessons when I was younger. I must say, you are too."

Finn looked at her strangely and then down at his feet which were moving awkwardly. "I don't think that's something that anyone has ever said to me before. I know I'm not great, I'm awkward and bump into things."

Rachel shrugged. "You seem fine to me." She assured him with a smile. "If you'd like, I could give you some more lessons."

Finn thought about it. On the one hand he knew spending more time with Rachel meant that he was spending less time on what he was supposed to be doing in courting Quinn, but at the same time that meant _more time with Rachel._

"I'd like that." Finn agreed. "Name the time and place and I'll be there."

Rachel laughed. "Finn, you are here for my sister, you cannot just spend time with me whenever you want to. My parents would never allow it first of all, and I couldn't do that to Quinn."

"You and her are pretty close from what I observed?" Finn asked.

Rachel nodded. "We have grown up together, we've shared a room for years, besides Santana she's probably my closest friend. I tell her everything. Which is why whatever this attraction to eachother is, we have to stay as friends. Nothing can happen."

Finn sighed. He understood, he really did, but his heart and his head were telling him two different things. "I know."

"Rachel, mother is looking for you and Quinn is looking for Finn." Maggie said as she walked over to the couple.

Rachel had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, she had a funny feeling that her mother had seen the exchange between she and Finn.

"I'll see you soon." Finn said as she kissed her cheek one more time before heading to find Quinn.

Rachel watched him walk away before turning to find her mother right behind her. "Rachel." She said, looking more curious than annoyed. "What's going on between you and Mr. Hudson?"

"Nothing mother, I assure you. Finn simply asked me to dance, and I agreed to. He's a gentleman."

Shelby nodded in agreement. "He most certainly is, and he seems to have taken an interest in you."

"We are friends, nothing more. I made sure of that." Rachel said.

"Good." Shelby smiled. "Darling, I know you like him, but there are other men out there, men that aren't here for Quinn."

"I know." Rachel said.

"What about Kurt?" Shelby asked. "He seems like a lovely man. He'd be perfect for you. He's very intelligent and worldly."

Rachel had to suppress a laugh. It was blaringly obvious that her mother didn't know that Kurt was different then other men. In fact, Rachel was thinking it would be a good idea to introduce him to her longtime friend, Blaine Anderson, the town mayor's son. Blaine had confessed to Rachel and Santana ages ago that he was attracted to men, which just made them even closer friends.

"I don't think so." Rachel said. "In fact, I'm sure he has his eyes on someone else."

"Who?" Shelby inquired, giving Rachel a strange look.

"I don't know, he just mentioned something to me about someone back home." Rachel fibbed.

"That's a shame." Shelby sighed. "What about Mr. St. James, you two were close at one time."

Rachel nearly vommitted at the thought of Jesse St. James. He had attended school with her, her final year and had shown interest in her. He was pompous, arrogant and way too much of a drama queen (even by her standards). "No." Rachel said giving Shelby no explanation.

"Suit yourself." Shelby shrugged and walked away to find her husband. Rachel's eyes then glanced over to the dancefloor to see Finn with his arms around Quinn, trying to pay attention to her, but still glancing up at her once in a while.

"He's had his eyes on you all night." An observant voice whispered to her. She recognized the sound immediately and turned to find Kurt at her side.

"I'm aware of that." Rachel answered. "I wish they weren't."

"No you don't." Kurt laughed. "You've been doing the same."

"I have not." Rachel insisted, though she knew it was true.

"Uh huh." Kurt patted her arm. "Come, we must talk."

Rachel reluctantly tore her gaze from Finn's and followed the shorter man to the large patio.

"I know you have feelings for my brother." Kurt started.

"No I don't, we are just friends." Rachel said.

"I can tell that's a lie Miss. Berry." Kurt smirked. "It's ok, I assure you I will not tell anyone. I was just being observant."

Rachel's eyes softened. "Thank you."

"You can't control who you fall in love with." Kurt said. "I should know that better than anyone."

"Mr. Hummel, if you don't mind me asking...do you like men?" Rachel asking.

Kurt's eyes immediately turned defensive. "So what if I do?"

"Don't worry, it's ok, I won't say anything." Rachel hurried to assure him, and she saw the defensive look dissipate. "I actually have a friend who is as well."

Kurt looked stunned. "You do?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, he came to me a few years back and confessed. He thought I would be more understanding than others, and I was. I believe in the freedom to fall in love with whoever you want to, society should have no say in who we spend our lives with."

"That's exactly how I think." Kurt said. "That's partly what my book is about."

Rachel smiled. "Then I can't wait to read it."

Kurt grinned at that comment.

"You know, there is someone you really should meet." Rachel said as she took Kurt's arm and forced him to follow her.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Kurt stubbornly tried to pull away from Rachel's strong grasp. "Miss. Berry, I hardly think this is a good time for this."

"Kurt, you have no idea what I am planning." Rachel laughed with a mischievous grin on her face.

"I have a good suspicion." Kurt said as Rachel continued to weave her way through the crowd, keeping her armly firmy locked around his.

"I promise you will not regret this." Rachel assured the worried man. "There he is." Rachel pointed to a short man, about the same age as him, leaning against the door, watching the various couples dancing.

"Blaine." Rachel greeted her friend, letting go of Kurt and pulling Blaine into a hug. Kurt got a good look at him and noticed he was extremely handsome. He had curly, dark brown hair and the most expressive eyes he had ever seen.

"Blaine Anderson, this is my new friend, Kurt Hummel." Rachel introduced the two. "Blaine is a friend of mine from way back. He's Mayor Anderson's son."

"It's lovely to meet you Blaine." Kurt said as he extended his hand.

Blaine smiled and shook the outstretched hand enthusiastically. "Any friend of Rachel's is a friend of mine."

"Likewise." Kurt returned his smile. He felt something unexplainable as their hands shook. It was like a spark of some sort, something he had never experienced with another man.

"Kurt and his brother Finn are spending some time with my family during their stay in town." Rachel explained. "Finn is here for Quinn." Rachel's face changed to one of pure sadness for a split second, before she plastered another 'Rachel Berry' smile back on her face. Blaine could see right through it, he knew her too well.

"I take it you're not happy he's here for Quinn?" Blaine asked.

"You got that right." Kurt chimed in. "She's spent the past hour staring at him. It's rather adorable, if not a little sad."

"I'm fine." Rachel assured them both. "I'll get over it eventually. It's just an infatuation. It'll go away, I've had these before."

"No you haven't." Blaine said.

Rachel glared at him, but then rolled her eyes as she remembered, he had been there.

"Everyone thought you were infatuated with Jesse St. James, but you really couldn't stand the sight of him." Blaine said.

"So these feelings are brand new for you Rachel?" Kurt asked surprised. She had spoken so thoughtfully to him before, he thought for sure she had past experience.

Rachel sighed. "I guess they are. But like I said, I will get over them."

"I hope so." Kurt said. "Having a broken heart is not something I would wish on my worst enemy. It's one of the worst kinds of pain."

"You've had a broken heart before Kurt?" Rachel asked curiously.

"Once, back home a long time ago." Kurt said. "It never would have worked between us, his father was my Aunt's arch-nemesis."

"He?" Blaine questioned. "You mean you're..."

"Gay?" Kurt answered. "Yes I am."

"Oh." Was all Blaine said as if he wasn't sure how to respond. "I am too." He whispered after a few moments.

"That's why Rachel wanted me to meet you." Kurt laughed looking at his new friend. Rachel grinned at the two.

"I thought you would get along splendidly, and I'm sure I am right." Rachel smirked. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to visit the lady's room."

A little while later, Rachel was getting tired of staring at Finn and Quinn, seemingly happy out on the dance floor. She found herself feeling more and more envious of her sister, imagining herself in Finn's arms instead. She hated feeling this way, she loved Quinn and didn't want to hurt her. She turned away and noticed that the patio was now empty, as people had either gone home or were dancing. Deciding she needed to get some fresh air, she stepped outside and took in the cool night air.

"You're going to catch your death out here without a shall." A voice shook her from her thoughts.

She turned and saw Finn staring at her with an undetermined look on his face. It looked like one of yearning, but it could have been Rachel's overactive imagination.

"I'm perfectly ok." Rachel answered somewhat hautily. Her tone a little sharper than she intended.

"Are you ok?" Finn asked noticing her unease. "I can find someone for you."

"I'm ok Finn, I promise you, I'm just getting a little tired and the combination of smells in there was making me ill." Rachel said giving herself an excuse.

"Oh. Would you like some company then?" Finn asked.

"Where's Quinn?"

"She's dancing with Kurt." Finn laughed. "I needed a break, dancing isn't a favorite pasttime of mine."

Rachel laughed a little at that. She couldn't keep up the tought act around him, he somehow managed to break down all her walls. "I never would have been able to tell." She joked.

"Hey hey, I don't see you out there Miss. I Took Dance Lessons As A Child." Finn mocked.

"You've got me there." Rachel grinned. "Maybe if I had a strong male lead..."

"Very well." Finn laughed. "Would you care to dance again Miss. Berry?"

"Finn, we really shouldn't." Rachel answered. "I can't do this to Quinn, no matter how tempting it is. She's my sister and family is everything to me."

Finn nodded sadly. "I understand."

"I think it would be best if we stayed away from eachother, at least when alone." Rachel said. "That would save us from temptation."

"But I can still consider you a friend?" Finn asked.

Rachel nodded, although hesitantly. "You may."

"Ok good, because I don't have many female friends, and the ones I do have are only friends with me because I come from money." Finn said.

"I promise that is not why I am friends with you." Rachel assured him.

"Why are you friends with me?" Finn asked as he handed her his jacket when he noticed her shiver.

Rachel accepted it and thought over her answer. "I guess because you seem so easy to talk to. I don't usually feel this comfortable around men. You listen to me and you don't judge me like most people do."

Finn smiled. "I happen to agree with your ideas, as crazy as they may seem to others."

"You're talking about my mother?" Rachel asked with a chuckle.

Finn nodded. "I didn't want to say so."

"Well I know it's true. She's very narrow minded when it comes to love, which I find strange considering she claims to have loved my father." Rachel said.

"She doesn't love Mr. Schuester anymore?" Finn asked curiously.

"No not him...my real father, Hiram Berry. He died shortly after I was born. I don't remember him at all." Rachel said as a tear dripped down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Rachel." Finn said. He used his thumb to wipe the tear from her cheek and caressed it sofly. "I lost my parents to, so I know how you feel."

Rachel nodded knowingly. She had learned Finn's family history from her father the night before. "I know you do." She whispered and stared into his eyes intensely. He started leaning in, as did she, both caught up in the moment. It seemed like they were just about to kiss when the tender moment was interrupted by Brittany telling them that the family was planning on leaving very shortly.

"I must go Finn." Rachel said. "We can't be alone together anymore. I'm sorry."

"Rachel wait." He said as he tried to stop her from running inside.

"I can't." She said as she pulled her arm from his grip. She ran inside in search of her parents, stopping shortly when she caught sight of something in a quiet corner of the ball room, something she never expected to see.

"Quinn? Noah?" She questioned to herself, seeing the kiss being exchanged by her sister and the boy who had been infatuated with her sister for years.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 7

"What is the meaning of this?" Rachel asked as she barged over to Quinn and Noah Puckerman. "How could you do this to Finn?" She spat at her sister in disgust.

Quinn was always the one everyone considered so wholesome and perfect. She was the pretty, sweet, kind girl who could do no wrong. It was one of the reasons Rachel had always put her sister on a pedestal.

"Rachel we were..." Quinn was interrupted by a slap across the face.

"How could you?" Rachel asked again as tears threatened to spill from her brown eyes. "Did you think about Finn at all and his feelings? He is here for you, you know. He cares about you."

Quinn had to resist rolling her eyes. "Please, he's only here for me because Father made a deal with his Aunt. He doesn't have feelings for me of any kind. If anything, he has feelings for you."

Rachel's eyes widened in shock at Quinn's revelation. "He told you that?"

Quinn shook her head. "No, but I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you. He would rather be with you."

Rachel sighed and let her shoulders sag, ashamed. "I'm sorry, Quinn. It isn't supposed to be this way"

"It's ok, it's not your fault that he's in love with you." Quinn assured the girl. "And as for Noah and I, it's nothing. I did not mean to hurt Finn, but you're right, I wasn't thinking about him."

"Noah, will you please give my sister and I a moment alone?" She asked the man who was staring hungrily at her sister. He nodded and reluctantly left the two girls alone.

"Quinn, do you have feelings for Noah?" Rachel asked curiously.

"I..I...maybe." Quinn said. "He's just so different from other men around here. I feel alive when I'm with him." She explained.

Rachel could definitely understand those feelings. It was how she felt about Finn. "I know those feelings well."

"You feel that way about Finn." Quinn said and nodded knowingly. "I saw you watching us before."

Rachel felt a blush creep across her face. "I don't know what to say. I'm so ashamed."

Quinn laughed but understood. "It's alright. We are both in terrible positions."

"Both infatuated with men who are wrong for us, if that's what you mean." Rachel agreed. "I wish it wasn't this difficult. I wish we could be with who we wanted to be with, instead of who we are chosen to be with. In a perfect world maybe..." She trailed off in thought.

"You know, I've never really understood your radical ideas until now." Quinn said. "I've always found them a tad silly."

Rachel nodded knowingly. "As have most people. Mother says I live in a fantasy world. She thinks equality and right to love who you want is something made up in books and it will never happen."

"Until that time I am set to marry Finn." Quinn sighed. "Rachel, you have to know, if it were up to me, I wouldn't be marrying him. He's not right for me."

"Finn is a great man." Rachel said defensively. "You'd be lucky to marry him."

"I know that, I didn't mean anything by it. I just meant that he is more for someone like you. He has the same ideals that you do. You know he told me about how he supports his brother who is attracted to men." Quinn said.

"Yes, I actually just introduced Kurt to Blaine." Rachel admitted, expecting Quinn to be shocked, but surprised when Quinn just nodded.

"That's great." Quinn smiled. "I've always known Blaine was a little different. I hope he and Kurt find true happiness."

"You knew?" Rachel questioned. "I always thought it was Santana and I who knew."

"It was a little obvious. I've never seen Blaine with a girl on his arm, and I've never noticed him with his eyes on any girls in this town, nor does he talk about them like most other men." She shrugged.

Rachel leaned in towards Quinn and whispered. "You can't tell anyone though." She made her sister promise. "If his father found out, Blaine would be cut off from his family fortune, and that's not fair."

"I promise." Quinn assured her. "The secret is safe with me."

"Good." Rachel smiled. "So what are you going to do about Noah?"

Quinn sighed. "I honestly don't know. I care for him deeply and he cares for me, but we are not meant for eachother. Father would never allow it. He hates Noah."

"Well it's not fair to Finn if you two keep sneaking around." Rachel said. "And I really don't want my sister to become known as the town Harlot."

"I would never let it get that far." Quinn insisted.

"Well then you and Noah have to break things off." Rachel said. "It's only right. If you do, then I promise not to say anything to Finn."

"It's not that easy Rachel." Quinn said as she leaned back against the wall, no longer able to keep her proper composure.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"Noah asked me to run away with him. He says he can take care of me and we can be together for good. It's such an amazing proposition."

"And what did you say?" Rachel's eyes widened.

"I said I would think about it." Quinn sighed. "I don't know what to do. If I go with him, I could have my happy ending...you could have your happy ending with Finn, but we would be disappointing everyone else."

Rachel had to admit the idea certainly had its positives. She would love to be able to be free to be with the man she was falling for, even if it meant running away. But she also didn't want to lose her family, they really were everything to her. When did life get so complicated?

"Quinn, I think you know what you need to do." Rachel said. "It's the right thing."

Quinn only nodded solemnly as Rachel walked away.


	8. Chapter 7

Here's the newest chapter. Sorry it took so long to put up. School has been a royal pain in my butt lately. I know it's kind of short, but it's kind of a chapter that kicks off the rest of the story. Enjoy and as always please review :) I love you all!

Authors Note: I realized the chapter numbers got a little screwed up, so instead of re-uploading all of the chapters, I'm just correcting it now. The last chapter should have been chapter 6, and this one is 7.

Chapter 7

The rest of the night came and went. The ball was an enormous success and raised a lot of money. Rachel and Finn had managed to stay apart for the remainder of the night, only going to far as to exchange longing looks from afar.

The next morning Rachel woke up to find Quinn sitting up in bed with tears in her eyes and her knees drawn to her chest. "Quinn?" Rachel asked worriedly.

"I..I broke it off with Noah." She cried and Rachel's heart went out to her sister, though she knew Quinn had done the right thing. "I told him we couldn't be together anymore, that I'm marrying someone else."

"What did he say?" Rachel asked.

"He didn't really say much of anything. He just sat there quietly and took it all in. He said he respected my decision and he would let me go." Quinn turned and buried her head in Rachel's shoulder.

"That doesn't sound like Noah." Rachel said. "That sounds like a mature adult." She attempted to lighten the mood, only to hear Quinn sob harder. "Sorry."

"What am I going to do?" Quinn sobbed. "I loved him...I love him." She corrected herself. "Why is doing the right thing so hard?"

"Tell me about it." Rachel sighed as she continued to hold her sister.

Quinn lifted her head from Rachel's shoulder, and wiped her swollen eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry Rachel. I know it is hard for you and Finn as well."

Rachel just nodded sullenly. Thinking about the situation they were all in was getting increasingly unbearable. She had spent the entire night dreaming about a life with Finn. She dreamed of being married, living in a big beautiful house, with a couple of kids. One boy and one girl preferably. She even went as far as to dream that she was a performer, something she had wanted for as long as she could remember.

"I wish there was something we could do." Quinn said. "I don't want to upset mother and father, but I just don't think I could marry Finn. It doesn't seem fair to either of us. We'll both be miserable."

"I know and there's no way of convincing them 're both too stubborn for their own good."

"I'm starting to think running away and leaving town is the best option." Quinn said.

"Father would find you, you know he would, and force you to marry Finn anyhow." Rachel said frustratedly. She really did wish there was something she could do. Being with Finn would mean everything to her.

"The world is not fair. What happens in all those books you read?" Quinn asked Rachel.

"The characters live happily ever after, but this is real life Quinn. Happy ever afters are never a guarantee, not when you have other people running your lives." Rachel rolled her eyes. She knew that her father was stubborn, but in someways he was just as idealistic as she was, and he would probably be easier to crack. Her mother was the problem.

All of a sudden they heard something hit the window. It sounded like a rock of some sort, but not one big enough to break it.

"Did you hear that?" Quinn asked, getting up from the bed.

Rachel nodded as both girls ran to see what the commotion was.

"It's Finn." Rachel gasped. She opened the window right away. "Finn what's going on?"

"I need to speak to you, Rachel." He said urgently. "Alone."

Rachel looked to Quinn as if asking her permission to be alone with her future husband. Quinn just nodded and gave her the go ahead.

Rachel grabbed her slippers and robe and ran outside into the mildly warm morning to find Finn. Without warning he planted his lips right on hers.

"Finn what has happened?" She asked as she pulled away from the kiss, albeit hesitantly.

"I just needed to see you." Finn explained.

Rachel sighed. "I thought we discussed this last night. We can't be alone together anymore. It is too hard for either of us to control our emotions."

Finn nodded in agreement. "I understand, but at the same time, being without you is even harder."

"I know it is, it is very hard for me too, especially knowing you are going to be marrying my sister." Rachel looked away from him sadly.

Finn cupped her cheek and forced her to look at him again. "I do not wish to marry Quinn." He assured her. "She is a lovely girl, and I am sure she would make a fantastic wife, but it is you I wish to marry."

Rachel smiled softly. "I wish it was that simple."

"Why can't it be?" Finn asked.

"Finn we can't do anything, my parents would find us and your Aunt would as well, and then we would never be able to be together." Rachel said.

"I wish this deal had never been made. I wish everyone would just understand the feelings we have...that Quinn has for another man that is not me." Finn said.

"You know about Noah?" She asked in shock.

Finn nodded. "I saw them at the ball yesterday, dancing. They looked really happy together. He looked at her the way I look at you."

"I'm sorry Finn, I know that must have hurt you." Rachel said.

Finn shook his head. "That's the thing, it didn't hurt me. I didn't feel anything, if anything I felt happy for her. That just further proves how wrong it would be for me to marry Quinn."

"Can I ask you a question?" Rachel asked. "It's out of curiousity."

Finn kissed the palm of her hand, giving her the go ahead.

"Why is it that you feel about me the way you do?" She questioned. She wasn't used to boys even looking her way, nevermind men as attractive as one Finn Hudson.

Finn smiled at her. "That could take a lifetime to answer." He said being totally honest with her. "Mostly I love how beautiful you are inside and out. I love your bravery, your strength, your crazy ideas. I love how you care so much about your family. I love the way you look at me. Most of all I love how you have captured my heart."

Rachel melted instantly. If it was a question before, it was definite now...she was in love with Finn Hudson. "I love you to, Finn."

Finn's smile brightened even more and he bent down to kiss her...hard. He slipped his tongue into her mouth as her tongue joined his in a battle for dominance. Both lost themselves in the kiss, pulling away only when breathing became a vital necessity.

"I'm going to find a way." Finn said breathing deeply. "I'm going to find a way for us to be together."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Rachel slept that night with a smile on her face as she remembered Finn's words. He had spoken to her with such sincerity and utter hope that it warmed her to the very core. They were going to find a way to be together if it was the last thing either of them did. They couldn't go without one another, their lives would be miserable if they even tried.

Rachel awoke the next morning, eager to talk to Quinn and see if they couldn't devise a plan to figure some things out. She rolled over in her bed to find her sister's side empty. Frowning, she got up and looked around, not seeing Quinn anywhere in sight. She shrugged, figuring her sister had just woken up and got an early start on the day, something that wasn't entirely unheard of, though very rarely happened. Rachel was, and had always been an early riser. She loved the mornings when she could take a walk outside and breath in the fresh air, and gather her thoughts.

She walked down the stairs to find her father sitting at the table with a frown deeply embedded on his face, his few wrinkles standing out more then ever.

"Morning Father." Rachel said allowing herself to smile at him.

Will looked up, and his eyes narrowed a little as he looked into Rachel's eyes. "Did you know anything about this?" He asked as he held up a piece of paper.

Rachel's eyes widened in shock at his tone, she wasn't used to him raising his voice to her. He used it on Maggie sometimes because she was a bit of a troublemaker at school, but rarely on her.

"What is it?" Rachel asked taking the paper from him. It was a note in Quinn's neat handwriting. It read:

Dearest Father:

I am very sorry that it has had to come to this, but I have decided to take Noah up on his offer to run away with him. We are in love Father, and he promises to take care of me. We will take care of eachother. Please do not come looking for me.

I love you and sincerely hope that I will see you again someday.

All my love, your daughter

Quinn.

Rachel's eyes watered as she realized Quinn had chosen to ignore everything they had talked about the day before.

"I'm going to ask you again Rachel, did you know anything about this nonsense?" Will's voice raised another octave.

"I...I told her not to do this!" Rachel exclaimed through her tears. "I told her it was a bad idea."

"You told her...she told you she was running away to be with that scoundrel Noah Puckerman?" Will yelled.

"Yes, but I tried to convince her otherwise, I thought I'd gotten through to her. I told her if she ran that you would find them and that would be it." Rachel explained.

Will's eyes looked dangerous as he tried to control his raging temper. "She got this ridiculousness from you. These ideas about love, those ideas have you written all over them."

"I'm sorry, I never meant for this to happen. Please." Rachel pleaded with him to forgive her, but she also had a burning need to stand up for her sister. "They are in love Father, it means something. You can't control who you fall in love with." Rachel reminded him.

"You sound as though you speak from experience." Will said.

Rachel nodded. "I do. I am in love with a man...Finn Hudson."

Will looked at his step-daughter and rolled his eyes. "Love? You know nothing about it, neither does Quinn, you are children."

"We are young women." Rachel said, starting to get worked up.

"And you think you love Finn Hudson? The man your sister is going to marry?" Her father asked. Rachel nodded.

"I should have known, the way you've been around him, it's nothing but trouble." Will told her.

"I love him, Father, with everything that I am and he loves me. It is why he cannot marry Quinn. He doesn't love her and she is in love with Noah. They would not be happy together." Rachel replied angrily.

"Well I'm sorry, but a deal is a deal. Your mother and I have made a deal with Finn's Aunt Sue, and we will be sticking to that deal." Will stated, as if it were simply a fact of life.

Rachel fumed. He wasn't understanding. "A deal? You told her that your daughter would marry her nephew. Well I am your daughter and I plan on marrying Finn, there see everything is fine."

Will looked at her, annoyed. "We said he would be marrying Quinn, and that is precisely what he will do."

"No." Rachel screamed before turning around and storming out the door in a fit of rage.

She ran until she was out of breath, and looked around to see where she was...in town. She knew exactly where she had to go and headed straight for the Inn where Finn and his brother were staying.

She knocked on the door, not really caring if she woke everyone up. Kurt answered after 3 hard knocks.

"Miss. Berry, how lovely to see you. May I ask what you are doing here at this time of day?" Kurt asked politely, though she could see he was a tad irritated at the incessant wake up call.

"Is Finn here?" Rachel questioned. "I need to see him, it's of utmost importance."

Kurt nodded and let her in right away, sensing that she wasn't simply being overdramatic.

"Rachel?" Finn asked in shock at seeing her in his room. It wasn't considered proper for young single girls to be in the rooms of young single men. "What are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you right away." Rachel said as she walked over and collapsed onto his bed in tears. "I had a fight with my father about Quinn."

Finn's eyes widened in surprise and he immediately sat up and pulled her into his arms, wanting to comfort her in anyway he could. "What happened?" He asked after he had managed to calm her down a bit and sat with her on his lap, rubbing her back,

"Quinn ran away to be with Noah and my father found out and blamed me. He said she got these ideas from me and that it was ridiculous for either of us to be in love." Rachel explained through shuddered breathes.

Finn sighed. "I'm so sorry Baby-doll." He comforted, using a name he had never called her before.

Rachel looked up at him through her tears. "I liked that."

"What?" He asked.

"That name, Babydoll, I liked that." Rachel smiled softly at him as Finn pushed the stray strands of hair from her face and kissed her forehead.

"I like it to." He beamed, but then he remembered why she was there crying in his arms and leapt from the bed. "Come on." He stood up and grabbed her tiny hand in his large one.

"Where are we going?" Rachel asked.

"We're going to find your sister, we're going to make things right once and for all."

I'm so sorry it took so long for me to update. I've been so busy, and I had a bit of writer's block, but never fear I'm back and I've got a pretty good idea where I'm going from here :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and as always please review :-)

P.S. I just recently started posting more on my tumblr page, so if you would like to add me it is .com


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 10

"Did your sister give any indication as to where she and Mr. Puckerman were heading?" Finn asked.

Rachel shook her head. "I can only assume they went to the city, Cincinnati. Noah's grandparents live there, and he could get a job at his Grandfather's workshop."

Finn nodded as he guided her through the streets of Lima, ignoring the looks of people passing by. "That's a start."

He got them 2 tickets to Cincinnati on the next Stage Coach, and before they knew it, they were on the road.

"Finn, what are we going to do? My Father, I'm sure, has a pretty good idea of where Quinn and Noah are. What if he finds them before we can?" Rachel asked.

Finn took her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to the back of it. "We're just going to have to hope for the best then." He then moved to kiss her forehead gently. "I will promise you this, no matter what happens, you and I are going to be together. Nothing that your parents, my Aunt, or anyone else can say will stop that from happening."

Rachel smiled, feeling a strong sense of reassurance wash over her. "I hope Quinn will be as happy as we are."

Finn nodded. "If what she feels for Mr. Puckerman is half as strong as what I feel for you, she will be."

"How did I get so lucky as to find a man as kind, noble, and generous as your Mr. Hudson?" Rachel questioned.

Finn laughed. "It is I who should be asking how I managed to find a girl as beautiful, sweet, and fiery as you Miss. Berry."

Rachel blushed, as she snuggled down into Finn's warm embrace, feeling more relaxed then she had felt in a long time. She felt him murmuring sweet words into her hair as she soon fell asleep, leaning against his shoulder.

After nearly a day and a half of traveling, the two finally managed to arrive in Cincinnati. The city was far bigger than Rachel had initially thought, and her hopes of finding her sister before her father dissipated a little more. Finn, on the other hand, was more determined than ever to find Quinn.

"This city is so big and loud, how will we ever manage to find Noah and Quinn?" Rachel asked.

"We'll just have to start asking around about the Puckerman workshop, somebody somewhere has to know something." Finn gripped her hand tightly. "We need to stay together, don't let go of my hand. These cities tend to be full of crazy people, it's not just the drunks you have to watch for. I will be damned if I let something happen to you."

Rachel's eyes widened at the determination and sharpness in his voice. She wasn't used to hearing him speak like that. He usually spoke so gently, but his tone just now was much different. She kind of liked the possessive quality of it.

"I promise I won't." Rachel assured him by gripping his hand a little tighter.

Finn smiled at her, the gentleness returning to his features. "Come on then."

They walked around the main street of the city for the next few hours, asking around about the Puckerman Workshop. It seemed as if no one had heard of it.

"That was the last Mercantile on this street, and we found nothing that was of any help to us." Rachel sighed in despair.

"Stay calm, Babydoll, we will find something." Finn said.

"Finn, it's getting dark out, do you think maybe we should call it a night and find somewhere to stay?" Rachel asked, though she was a little unsure about just where they should stay. She hadn't brought any money with her, not that she had a lot anyway.

Finn looked around and nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

They found a small hotel that was above a restaurant, right off the main street. Finn asked for a room with a double bed, and Rachel blushed as he did so. The man at the desk eyed them strangely. He didn't see any rings, and men and women didn't normally share rooms unless they were married.

Finn noticed him staring and did his best to come up with an explanation. "She's my wife, we are married I assure you, but we were mugged upon getting off the Coach. The thug made off with our rings and much of our other belongings."

The man's eyes widened and he gave the two a sympathetic look, not having any reason to doubt them. "I'm very sorry Mr. Hudson, please consider that room as paid in full for as long as you both need."

Finn smiled gratefully and nodded at the man. "Thank you Sir, that's very kind of you. If I had any money left, I would surely give you a large tip for your generosity."

"Why don't you and your lovely wife join my wife and I for dinner tonight, it would be an honour to help you both."

Finn and Rachel both eagerly accepted the kind offer. "Thank you for your hospitality and generosity Mr. Evans."

"You are both very welcome." The blonde man replied and showed them to their room. "I will see you both shortly for dinner." He said before turning and walking back down the hall.

"He was quite the gentleman." Rachel exclaimed in surprise. She had heard many things about city men, and one of those things was that many of them were arrogant and rude. Mr. Evans had certainly proved her wrong, though she kind of figured that she should have known that already considering how Finn was from the city.

"He was." Finn agreed. "There's not many men like that in these areas."

Rachel looked around the room and stared at the bed. She looked to Finn shyly and pushed a piece of hair that had come loose, behind her ear.

Finn noticed her looked and smiled reassuringly at her. "It's ok Babydoll, we are just going to sleep, I wouldn't make you do anything you were not absolutely ready for, especially when we are not even married."

"Speaking of marriage that was quite the story you came up with." Rachel laughed. "I can only assume you had it planned out in your head?"

Finn shrugged and nodded. "I guess a bit of Kurt's writing talents have rubbed off on me and my imagination."

"Well if I'm going to have to pretend being married to someone, I'm glad it's you." Rachel snickered at him.

Finn smirked. "Well let's just use this night as a trial for the real thing, except without the intimacies that are expected of married couples."

Rachel blushed, but nodded in agreement nonetheless.

A half hour later they joined Mr. Evans and his wife, Mercedes, in the kitchen for dinner. At first Rachel and Finn were both shocked that Mercedes was African American, but both shrugged it off and appreciated that Samuel and Mercedes Evans seemed to feel the same way they did about marriage equality, no matter what ethnicity or sexual orientation you were.

Rachel learned she had a lot in common with Mercedes as well. Both were gifted singers, who loved to perform for other people and had treated Sam and Finn to an impromptu show. Finn glowed with pride at the sound and warmth of Rachel's voice, it was the first time he had really heard it, but her voice was like nothing he had ever heard and he would make sure she sang to him every day for the rest of their lives once they were married. Mercedes and Rachel were also both very fiery and passionate about their mutual cause and vowed that they would see things change.

"So what really brings you both here?" Sam asked curiously.

"We're looking for someone, or some people we know, who are in trouble." Finn explained. "They fled Lima and we think they may be in Cincinnati."

Sam nodded. "Well what's the name, maybe we know them or their family members. Being a part of the business community, I am prone to knowing a lot of people."

"The name is Puckerman, his father owns some kind of workshop in the city, though we haven't the slightest idea where it is." Rachel said.

"Puckerman's Blacksmith Shop." Sam stated. "I know of it. It's only a few streets over from here. Elijah Puckerman owns it. He's a nice, old Jewish man."

"It's close to here?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, you could probably walk there in minutes." Sam said.

Mercedes nodded and asked. "The man you wouldn't happen to be looking for wouldn't be Noah Puckerman would it?"

Rachel's mouth dropped as she nodded in reply. "Yes that's him, he's traveling with a young, blonde girl, Quinn Schuster."

"Have you seen them?" Finn asked.

Sam nodded. "They stayed here the other night. The man said that it was for his wedding night. They stayed in the nicest room we had too."

Rachel let out a squeal at the news. "Quinn's married?"


	11. Chapter 10

Soooo sorry this chapter took so long. I've been super busy and I kept getting ideas for other stories that I had to write down so I wouldn't lose them, but finally there is an update for this story. I started it about a month ago, but am just finishing it now. Hope you enjoy and that it was worth the wait. :)

Chapter 10

"Married?" Finn questioned Sam. "Are you sure?"

Sam nodded. "The man said that he and the lady had just gotten married by the Judge that lives down the road. They had the rings to prove it." Sam couldn't help get a jab in with Finn, after Finn had told him about losing the rings the night before. Sam hadn't said anything, but he thought something didn't add up with their story.

Rachel started pacing anxiously. "Quinn's married? I can't believe this. Why would she do this?"

Finn grabbed Rachel by her shoulders to stop her. "Rachel, we need to focus and we need to find Quinn and Noah. There will be time for questions later, I assure you."

Rachel nodded, silently thanking him for being able to calm her down. "You're right, it is now imperative that we find them before my father does. There is no telling what he will do if he finds out."

Finn agreed. They both thanked Sam and Mercedes for the information before leaving the small inn. They followed Sam's directions to get to the Puckerman Blacksmith Shop, and found it with ease.

"Do you think they are here?" Rachel asked, seeing that the shop looked to be closed for some odd reason.

Finn looked around, but nodded. "I think they are. Follow me." He instructed.

Rachel took his outstretched hand as he led them around the back of the shop toward the living quarters. It was a small house built entirely of logs. It had two windows in the front with a large door. The house looked to be in good shape, especially compared to other homes in the area.

Finn walked up to the door with Rachel in tow. He knocked gently and after not getting an answer, he knocked a little harder. Finally an older man, probably in his 60s answered the door. "Yes?"

"Morning." Finn greeted with a small smile. "We're looking for a couple of our friends, well my friends and but the lady is her sister." He pointed to Rachel who smiled shyly from behind him.

The man just stared blankly at them, so Finn decided to continue.

"We have reason to believe they are staying here with you. We were told that you owned this Blacksmith Shop and that you are related to Noah Puckerman?"

The man still didn't say anything, causing Finn to begin to get aggitated.

"Please, as I said the lady that is with him, if they are indeed here, is Rachel's sister. She is in a bit of trouble and we need to speak with them, especially before Quinn and Rachel's father gets here." Finn explained.

"They're here." The man finally answered. He opened the door and allowed them to enter the small, but otherwise cozy home. "Noah." The man barked to the other man, sitting at the table next to Quinn eating breakfast.

Noah looked to the doorway and noticed Finn and Rachel. His eyes widened as he saw the surprised looks on their faces. He nudged Quinn and she turned and stared in shock at her sister.

"Rachel." She nearly squealed as she got over her shock and got up to greet her younger sister with a hug. "You found me." She pulled away, giving Rachel a surprised look. "But how?"

Rachel shrugged it off. "It's a long story." She said simply as she looked at Finn, who had greeted Noah with a handshake. The four sat down as Noah's grandfather made himself scarce, going to open his shop.

"First things first," Rachel broke the silence, "you're married?"

Quinn looked at her new husband with a grin and turned to face her sister once again. "We did."

Rachel couldn't deny the look of pure happiness on Quinn's face and smiled at her. "If you're happy, then I'm happy for you."

Quinn smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Rachel, having your blessing means the world to me."

Rachel looked at her new brother-in-law. "Welcome to the family Noah."

Noah grinned at her and nodded his thanks. He didn't really want to interrupt the discussion he knew Quinn and Rachel needed to have. He looked at Finn and noticed that he was doing the same thing.

"Quinn, you know Father is coming for you." Rachel said.

Not surprisingly, Quinn nodded in understanding. "I reckoned it wouldn't be too long until he followed me."

"He's not going to like this." Rachel sighed. "He blamed me for you running away. I think he was afraid something like this would happen.

Rachel felt Finn's comforting hand, rubbing her back.

"I'm so sorry, Rachel." Quinn apologized. "I never wanted to put you in the middle of all this."

Rachel just shook her head. "It's alright, I assure you. I would have done the same thing in your position. I think Father knew that, so that's why he blamed me for putting ideas in your head."

Quinn laughed a little. "Well to be honest, I did think of what you would do in my situation." She looked at Finn apologetically as well. "I owe you an apology as well Finn. I never meant to lead you on. I know that this was supposed to be us, according to society, but I just didn't feel right in marrying you when I was in love with another man."

Finn shook it off. "It's perfectly understandable Quinn, I know exactly how you feel." He looked at Rachel with a beaming grin.

Quinn smiled at the two. "What about you two? Are you ok and happy?"

"The happiest." Rachel said, taking Finn's hand in her own.

"What are you going to do about Mr. Schuster?" Finn asked the couple across from him.

"There's not much he can do to us." Noah said with a shrug. "We are legally married now. Quinn is of age. She didn't need permission from him to marry me. I just want to make Mr. Schuster understand how we feel and hopefully at least get him to respect our relationship."

"He's still going to go ballistic." Rachel said. "Be prepared. Our Father is a good man, a decent man, but he has been under my mother's influence for so long, and she is a very traditional women who doesn't necessarily believe in love."

"We are prepared." Quinn answered. "I am moving to Cinncinnati with Noah whether Father likes it or not. Noah is going to work with his Grandfather, I'm going to teach for a few years before we start a family, and we are moving into this house."

"It's good to have a plan." Rachel agreed. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Quinn nodded. "I promise on my life Rach, this is exactly what I want."

"Then you have my support 100%." Rachel said reassuredly. "Our support." She corrected after noticing the look on Finn's face.

"What are you two going to do?" Noah asked curiously. "Schuster's going to be no more impressed with the two of you."

Finn nodded. "We are aware of that. He knows of our relationship, and I'm sure he and my Aunt are trying to come up with some scheme to break us up." Finn shook his head at the thought. "But it doesn't matter. I love her, she loves me, and no matter what, we will be together."

Rachel nodded emphatically in agreement. "Absolutely. You're nuptials may work in our favour as well."

"How?" Quinn asked.

"Well if Father and Finn's Aunt Sue see that you two are married and that there is nothing they can do, they will have to work out something else or just put an end to it all." Rachel explained.

Finn nodded. "My hope is that my Aunt will accept that I've fallen for another of William Schuster's daughters instead."

"Good luck." Noah said sincerely, knowing how stubborn Will Schuster could be, and he could only imagine how crazy Finn's aunt was.

They heard a ruckus from outside and right away they knew something wasn't right. There were shouts coming from the front of the shop and soon stomping across the small porch. Suddenly a loud pounding could be heard and immediately the four knew they had been caught.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The banging grew louder as nobody knew what to do in that moment. Noah's Grandfather having heard the ruckus, returned to his home from his workshop to find a man with light brown, curly hair and a woman with dark hair, pulled into a bun, standing at the door.

"May I help you?" Mr. Puckerman asked.

"Are you Elijah Puckerman?" William asked.

"Yes sir, I am." The man nodded and greeted the lady beside him with a smal nod as well.

"We have reason to believe you are hiding a couple of children here. More specifically my daughter, Quinn and her friend Noah Puckerman, your grandson." Will accused. "You may even possibly know where my other daughter, Rachel is."

"There ain't no kids here." Elijah said stubbornly. "There are, however, 4 grown adults staying here."

"Those adults, as you say, are our children, well two of them are." Shelby stated impatiently, tired of being polite. She wanted to get to her daughters before they did anything they would regret.

"Mam, I think I know an adult when I see one, and I assure you that those 4 people in their are as grown up as they come." Elijah defended. He may not have agreed with his grandson running away and getting married, but seeing how stubborn these parents were, he was beginning to understand his reasoning, and he would defend them as much as he could.

"Those girls in there are barely 18 and 20 years old." Will said quickly becoming annoyed.

"Old enough to know what they're doing then. Most girls their age are married with kids." Elijah reminded him as he stepped in front of his door.

"Please step aside." Will spat. "Or I will be forced to call the authorities."

Elijah laughed. "There's nothing they could possibly do. Besides, they will laugh in your face. They've got enough problems dealing with real issues in this city."

Will angrily pushed past the man and managed to get the door open. He rushed inside with Shelby and Elijah trailing after him.

"Where are they?" Will asked. "Where are you hiding them?"

Elijah was quickly growing tired of being accused of his wrongdoing. "I ain't hiding them anywhere. They probably heard you coming and escaped out the back door." He pointed to a door on the other side of the house, beside a large wardrobe.

"Where would they have gone?" Will wondered, growing even more concerned as time past.

"In a city this size, one can only guess." Elijah said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do. Good luck finding them, although there's really not much you can do." He sneered at the other man.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Will asked, but it was too late, the other man had disappeared.

xxxx

"Noah, where are we going?" Quinn asked as her, Finn and Rachel trailed after him down a long and winding road.

"We're getting the hell out of here." Noah said uneasily.

Finn stopped suddenly, noticing Rachel trying to catch her breath. "Hold up." He yelled after the other two. "I'm starting to think running off wasn't the best idea."

"You think?" Rachel muttered tiredly from behind him.

"What are we supposed to do?" Noah asked. "You heard Schuster screaming. If he finds me, I'm a dead man."

"I know that." Finn said shortly. "But we can't keep running, eventually he will find us and things will be worse."

"Finn's right." Rachel said in agreement, taking his hand. "We have to face him eventually. Besides, what could he do now that you are married?" She gestured to the ring on Quinn's hand.

Quinn admired her ring and smiled softly at her husband. "I think they're right, Noah."

Noah sighed. "I just don't want them to take you away from me."

"He can't. I am of age, he really has no say anymore." Quinn reminded him. "He will be angry, but I am prepared to deal with that."

"What about you two?" Noah asked Finn and Rachel. "He could still keep you two apart."

Rachel shook her head. "I won't allow it. I am a grown woman. If he and my mother can't accept my decisions, then they will have to accept that I will no longer be apart of their lives."

Finn squeezed her hand in a comforting gesture. "I'll support you all the way love." He assured her.

"Finn what are we going to do if I end up being turned away from my family?" Rachel asked. They hadn't really talked about what their future plans were yet. She fully expected them to get married someday and have a few kids, but where would they live?

"We could move to Toledo?" Finn suggested. "We'd be away from my crazy Aunt and your family. I could find a job with a printing press, I'm sure. You could work on your writing for awhile before we really settle down."

Rachel thought about it. She had never been to Toledo before. It would be like a new adventure. "I would love to go there."

Finn wasn't finished quite yet. "Of course, eventually we would end up in New York, the city of your dreams."

Rachel blushed. How did he even know?

"Don't think I didn't hear you muttering in your sleep about New York City." Finn said with a laugh.

"She's wanted to move there since she was a little girl." Quinn told him. "When we were little it was always New York this, New York that. She's going to change the world starting in New York."

Rachel smiled fondly at her sister. She really did love everything she had heard about the city. She knew there were a lot of women's rights activist groups there and she was sure she would fit right in.

"So it's settled then." Finn smiled at her. "New York is our dream."

Rachel nodded. "Just pray my father and mother don't try to get in the way."

"It'll all work out Babydoll." Finn said.

"Babydoll?" Noah snickered.

"It's my pet name for her, lay off." Finn said. "I can only assume you have some pet name for Quinn as well."

Noah stopped his retort immediately, not wanting to admit that underneath his tough exterior, he was a softy. That was something only Quinn would ever know.

"What should we do in the mean time?" Quinn asked, once again reminding them of their current situation.

"I think we need to confront our families." Finn replied with a firm nod. "It is only then that they will see how serious we are."

"I don't think we'll have to wait long." Noah said. "There they are."

He looked like he wanted to run again, but Quinn's hand in his reminded him that he had to man up if he was ever going to have a life with her.

"Quinn, Rachel." Will yelled from across the road. He pulled both girls into his embrace quickly, as did Shelby.

"Thank the good lord that you are both alright." Shelby said after examining both girls.

"What were you both thinking?" Will asked. "Running away with these two men."

"Father, it wasn't like that." Quinn said.

Will accidently got a view of the small, sparkly shape on her finger. "Quinn what have you done?"


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Will continued to stare at the small ring glaring back at him from his oldest daughter's left hand. "Quinn, I am going to ask you again, what have you gone and done?"

Quinn looked down to her ring, then to her husband, and finally back to her father. She stood straight, put her shoulders back, and looked directly into her father's eyes. "I'm married Daddy, Noah and I are married." She even raised her left hand and showed her shocked parents.

Will scoffed. "This is not a time for joking."

Noah looked at the man, offended by his accusations. "We aren't joking, with all due respect, Sir, we are very serious. Quinn and I are married. She is no long Quinn Schuester but Quinn Puckerman."

Will shook his head angrily, before turning to glare at Rachel. "I suppose I was right and this was all your doing."

Rachel looked up at him in shock while Finn got ready to defend his future wife. "Hey now, she had nothing to do with this."

Will looked at Finn furiously. "She had everything to do with this." He nearly screamed, only calming down after Shelby placed a hand on his arm. "All her life she has been filled with these fantasies about love, marriage equality, and women's rights. She passed those thoughts onto Quinn and now look what has happened"

"Father, Finn was right, Rachel had nothing to do with this. She didn't influence me in any way. Any decision I have made, I made on my own." Quinn said firmly.

"Please Father, please understand." Rachel pleaded, even looking into her own mother's eyes for help. She received none. Shelby meerly looked away from the young woman. "They are in love, just like Finn and I." She pulled Finn's hand into her own and intertwined their fingers.

Will turned to look at them. "And I suppose you were just about to run off and get married as well. I'm losing 2 daughters at one time."

Finn shook his head. "We weren't about to do that Sir, I assure you. I love your daughter yes, but I would never betray your trust so much. As much as I love Rachel, and am planning to marry her eventually, I would at the very least seek your blessing first. I wouldn't leave you in the dark."

"Not like Mr. Puckerman." Will sighed, feeling tired and nauseus at the same time.

"I never meant to do that, Sir." Noah insisted. "We felt like we had no other choice. We knew you would never approve. You have your heart set on Quinn marrying Finn although she doesn't care for him in that way."

"Finn's Aunt and I have an arrangement." Will said. "Quinn is to marry Finn or the deal would be off."

Finn looked at the older man in confusion. "What difference does it make which daughter I marry, Sir?" Finn asked. "I love Rachel, she is your daughter, and I am going to marry her."

"It's not that easy, Finn." Will shook his head. "Your Aunt has had her eyes set on Quinn for years now. She thinks you two would be a good match for future children. There are other plans made for Rachel."

Rachel's jaw dropped. She knew of no other plans for her. She figured her father didn't really care much for who she was courted by.

"What sort of plans?" Finn asked, pulling Rachel a little closer to him, despite the looks he received from her parents. "I know you think it's none of my business, but I need to know."

"We have arranged for Rachel to marry Jacob Ben Israel." Shelby said finally speaking up. "He has always fancied her and his family comes from good wealth. She will have a good life."

Rachel shook her head profusely. "I will not marry Mr. Ben Israel. That man is vulgar and treats women like objects." She was adament.

"Rachel, it has already been arranged." Will said carefully, knowing fully well he was awaking his daughter's infamous temper. "We will be getting back to Lima where you will say your goodbyes to Finn."

Rachel shook her head. "No." She hid behind Finn for protection, knowing he would help her if need be.

Finn turned to her and wrapped her in his arms. "It'll be ok Babydoll, I promise. I won't let them take you from me, even if we do have to run away."

Rachel nodded, feeling better after hearing his words.

"Quinn, you will end this charade of a marriage to Mr. Puckerman at once and then come back to Lima and marry Finn at once." Will said to his oldest.

"No." Quinn said simply. "I am not returning to Lima. I am staying here with Noah and we are going to be a family."

"Quinn, you are not thinking properly right now, Rachel has your head full of her ideals." Will said.

"No, I am thinking more clearly than I ever have Father." Quinn stated raising her voice. "You have no control over me anymore. I am 20 years old, you don't dictate my life anymore."

"Quinn think about what your giving up." Will persisted, feeling anxious and knowing he was in a losing battle. "You could have a nice life with Finn, he will provide a good home for you and any future children."

Quinn shook her head stubbornly. "Rachel can have all that. She wants and deserves it."

Rachel nodded in agreement.

Will could see that Quinn was not giving up, so he did the last possible thing he could think of. "Fine, you want to have it your way, then Quinn you are hereby disowned."

"Father I.." Quinn was interrupted by Will.

"No, you want this life with this man, then you can have it, but you will lose your family."

Tears filled Quinn's eyes as Noah pulled her closer to him. "Fine, if that's the way it has to be, then I no longer wish to be a Shuester." Quinn said. "Please tell Brittany and Maggie that I love them and hope to see them again someday. Can you send my things to me?"

Shelby nodded to the girl, breaking her steely character for a moment as she hugged her tightly before pulling away and kissing her forehead quickly. Will looked away, outraged by the turn of events. He had no idea what was going to happen with his deal with Sue now. He may be able to convince her that Rachel was of good blood as well, and she is his daughter, but she was also promised to the Ben Israel family. It was a lose-lose situation for him.

He looked at Quinn and shook his head, before walking in the other direction.

Rachel walked over to her sister with tears lining her big brown eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want?" Rachel asked.

Quinn nodded through her tears and gave her sister and assuring smile. "I'm sure."

Rachel nodded as well and hugged her sister tightly. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." She pulled away from the hug and wiped Rachel's eyes. "Promise to write me."

Rachel nodded. "I promise. You'll do the same once you and Noah get settled?"

Quinn agreed easily as they embraced once more before they heard Shelby clear her throat.

"Come Rachel." The woman addressed her daughter.

Rachel reluctantly followed, Finn close behind her, and turned to look at her sister and brother in law once more. She had no idea what the future held in store for either of them. She hoped they worked things out with Finn's aunt, otherwise she would be in the same situation as Quinn, forced away from her family. Did she have it in her?


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Upon arriving back in Lima, Rachel and Finn were separated at once. Finn went back to his hotel to find Kurt, while Rachel was whisked away by her parents. They locked her in her bedroom for fear she would try and run away. They were not willing to risk losing another daughter, especially not to something they thought as a ridiculous as the idea of love.

"You can't keep me locked up here forever, Father." Rachel screamed furiously as she pounded on her bedroom door. "I have rights, despite what you claim." She knew her parents were ignorning her on purpose, and it broke her heart. These were two people who were supposed to love her unconditionally, not treat her like a criminal. She knew if she were ever lucky enough to have children one day, she would never treat them this way. Her children will know what love is, all types of it, and they will be raised to believe in equality for all.

She heard a bit of a scuffle downstairs and listened quietly.

"Jacob, thank goodness you are here." Will said sounding relieved. "We caught Rachel trying to run away with Finn." Rachel rolled her eyes at that, she hadn't planned on doing such a thing, yet anyways. "We may need to speed up the wedding."

"I assure your Master Hudson that I am more than willing to take your daughter into my family and welcome her with open arms."

Rachel blanched at the thought. Her parents knew her feelings about Jacob Ben Israel and his strange family. How could they wish to marry her into _that_?

"Is this weekend fast enough for you?" Jacob proposed. "My Mother has been busy planning away, I'm sure she could have something thrown together for then."

She heard Will reluctantly agree and just like that her wedding date was set, leaving her feeling more betrayed then ever.

She needed Finn and she needed him now. He needed to save her from this mess.

Things were quiet for the rest of the night and instead of trying to escape her room, Rachel chose to put her parents on ignore, refusing any kind of reconciliation with them. She was half asleep when Shelby entered the room and ran her fingers through her daughter's long hair.

"I wish you would realize that what we are doing is in your best interest." Shelby said trying to sound soothing much to the annoyance of Rachel.

The next morning Rachel woke up and went about her usual activities, continuing to ignore her parents, despite the fact that they clearly wanted her attention. It was time to give them a taste of their own medicine.

She was washing the dishes when her father walked in and starting talking to her.

"You should know, young lady, that I have arranged a meeting with Finn's Aunt Sue. She will be arriving in town this afternoon to discuss the situation."

Rachel sighed and nodded to acknowledge that she had heard everything.

She was finishing the last dish when she noticed a tall figure walking up her driveway. She grinned widely as she flew past her father, ignoring his calls and into the arms of the man she loved.

"Finn, thank goodness your here!" Rachel exclaimed, tears forming in her eyes as he held her tightly. "They're planning to marry me off this Saturday."

She felt Finn nod against her head. "I heard Baby-doll, I'm so sorry."

She pulled away and looked him in the eye, seeing a look of sorrow on his face. "What are we going to do?" She asked.

Finn sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not really sure, I think we're going to have to start off with the meeting with my Aunt this afternoon. If that doesn't go well, I will come up with a plan B, and if that doesn't work then we will run. I will not let you marry Mr. Ben Israel." Finn assured her with a firm voice, pulling her back into his secure arms.

Rachel smiled, despite her melancholy and knew that Finn would come to her rescue.

That afternoon, the entire Schuester family dressed up in their Sunday best, to greet Finn, Kurt and their Aunt Sue. Sue was a tall blonde woman with startlingly short hair, piercing blue eyes that grew into slits, and a quick with. Rachel hated her immediately.

"Well Finnegan, I see you've found yourself a nice dwarf." Sue sneered at her nephew.

Finn's hands found Rachel's and he pulled her closer to him. "With all due respect, Aunt Sue, Rachel is a beautiful, caring woman and you will show her some respect."

Sue's eyes widened when Finn spoke up to her, she wasn't used to it. "I see she's taught you to grow a back bone." The woman countered.

"I've always had one, you've just never realized it." Finn replied angrily, already hating where this meeting was going. If the woman was just going to insult Rachel, he would leave with her and skip right to the running away.

"So Schuester, what's this I hear of Miss. Quinn running away on you?"

Will sighed. "I'm afraid it's true. She married another man against our wishes and is no longer apart of this family."

Sue nodded, clearly frustrated. "And what do you suppose should be done about our deal?"

Finn stepped in. "If you would just give us a chance, Rachel and I would like to get married. I would still be marrying Mr. Schuester's daughter, just not the one you chose for me."

Sue rolled her eyes. "I see she's got you under her spell, Hudson." She shook her head. "Are you some kind of siren, Miss. Schuester?" She eyed Rachel.

"It's Berry, Mam, I don't go by Schuester." Rachel said. "And I assure you I am no siren. I didn't lure Finn in any way to use for my own devices. We just share a special connection."

"Berry, pardon me." Sue barked. "Well in any case, I will not be allowing my nephew to marry you. You just don't have the right look."

"What look are you talking about?" Finn asked. Rachel's beautiful, exotically so.

"The look, the look I want my future nephews and nieces to have. You and Quinn would have had beautiful children." Sue said.

"I happen to love the way Rachel looks." Finn said defensively. "She's amazing and incredible and smart, everything I look for in a future wife."

Sue chose to ignore him before pointing over to Brittany.

"You there, Blondie, what is your name?" Sue asked.

Brittany looked terrified of the older woman, and a little dazed. "B..Brittany." She stuttered.

"You look a lot like Quinn." Sue stated. "Schuester, how old is she?"

Will looked at Brittany and gave her an assuring smile. "She is 19."

"That's marriagable age." Sue said. "She'll do. Do we have ourselves a new deal?" Sue asked.

Will smiled nervously and accepted. He looked a little afraid of Sue himself as he shook hands with her shakily. "Deal."

Sue nodded seeming happy enough for the time being.

Rachel looked at Finn with tears in her eyes. Nothing was going there way. She felt for Brittany, her poor sister was now in a similar situation that she was. Brittany was so naive and childlike that Rachel just couldn't imagine how she must be feeling right now.

"So what's this I hear about young Miss. Berry here marrying a member of the Ben Israel family on Saturday?" Sue asked curiously.

"It's true. Rachel will be marrying their son Jacob. He has had her in his sights for years now." Will said, almost sounding proud of that fact. Rachel couldn't believe the audacity of her father.

"Well I'd say Saturday sounds like a perfect day for a wedding." Sue grinned, with a sinister look on her face. "How about it Finn? Want to have a double wedding? It'll be the talk of the town."

Finn looked at Rachel and gulped nervously. They were both thinking the same thing. A double wedding was going to be torturous and was surely a plan to punish them both. They had to come up with a solution and fast, but what?


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Rachel raced through town in search of her oldest and best friend, Santana. She needed someone to talk to desperately. Usually that someone would be her sister, Quinn, but seeing as that wasn't an option right now, Santana would suffice.

She knocked on the door to Santana's family's small home next to the Doctor's office. Her mother answered the door after a few knocks, smiling at the sight of Rachel, a girl who, through the years, she'd come to love as her own.

"Hola, Rachel." Maribel Lopez greeted the young woman.

Rachel smiled at the older version of her best friend. "Mrs. Lopez, is Santana here? Please say she's here, it's rather urgent that I speak to her.

Maribel let the girl into her home at once and told her that Santana was in her room.

Rachel raced down the small hallway to Santana's room at the end, bursting in without knocking. This just couldn't wait.

"Santana." Rachel shrieked.

Santana who had been busy reading a book, immediately dropped the book to the floor upon Rachel's unexpected entrance.

"Dios Mio." Santana held a hand to her heart after being startled. "Tu eres loca, Rachel."

Rachel ignored her best friends quips and flopped down on her bed. "I needed to talk to you."

Santana nodded. "Get to it then."

Rachel launched into her story about what had happened over the past few days and watched as Santana's face fell at the part of hearing of how Brittany was now engaged to be married to Finn.

"Your crazy father is pushing Brit to get married?" Santana asked. "She's not ready."

Rachel nodded emphatically in agreement. "You don't think I know that. Brittany's still so innocent and childlike, she's no where near ready to be a wife. My mother's still working with her to prepare her, even Maggie is better prepared. Brittany just never took to it like the rest of us. She's always just done her own thing and for the most part, nobody cared until now."

"We have to stop this." Santana said. "There's no way she or you can be married off like that this weekend."

Rachel was surprised, she knew Santana would be angry, but she seemed to be taking it personally. "San, is there something going on with you and my sister?"

Santana bit her lip and looked to her quilt, finding the pattern a little easier to look at then into her best friend's eyes. She hadn't admitted anything to anyone yet, besides Rachel. Rachel, however, didn't know the extent of her friend's feelings.

"Santana, you know I won't judge you if there is." Rachel pressed on.

Santana finally looked into the other girl's face, looking almost ashamed of herself. "I know it's not considered moral or conventional, but I think I have feelings for Brit, stronger then even you know." Santana whispered.

Rachel's eyes widened, but she immediately reached out and took her best friend's hand. "What? For how long? Does Brittany know you love her?"

Santana pulled away and bolted to the door to close it all the way before turning back to her bed. "Calm down Berry." Santana said, using Rachel's last name affectionately like she always had.

"Tell me everything." Rachel urged.

Santana sighed and sat down next to her friend. "Yes I really am in love with Brit." She admitted quietly. "I think I have been for awhile, since we were kids probably. And Brittany does know, and I'm pretty sure she feels the same, but we've been keeping it a secret."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rachel asked. "You know I would never judge you, you're my best friend."

Santana rolled her eyes with a short laugh. "I know you wouldn't Rach, you're probably the only one in this town, besides Blaine of course who wouldn't. Everyone in this town is so traditional, they don't seem to realize that the world is changing, and we need to change with it."

Rachel agreed, but then something Santana said caught her attention. "Why did you mean about Blaine?"

"You don't know?" Santana asked.

"Know what? What's going on?"

"Blaine's with Kurt." Santana said simply. "I caught him and Kurt kissing the night of the ball. They looked pretty comfortable if you ask me."

"Kurt really?" Rachel asked. She had a feeling that they would hit it off after she introduced them, but she didn't realize it would happen this fast.

"I wonder if Finn knows?" Rachel asked.

Santana shrugged. "He doesn't seem like the type who would care anyways. As long as his brother is happy"

Rachel smiled proudly at the thought. "I know. He's a perfect gentleman and he really cares for others.

Santana ignored the dreamy look on Rachel's face. "So what are we going to do about this wedding?"

Rachel sighed, not knowing what to do.

"We need to have a protest of some sort, like the ones they have in New York City." Santana suggested. "You know so many diverse groups are starting to come together, maybe if we can get enough people for support, we could change certain people's minds."

"We need to convince Judge Figgins is who we need to convince." Rachel said. "If he refuses to marry Jacob and I, or Finn and Brittany, then there's not really anyone else who could marry us in this town, and by the time they find someone we'll be long gone."

Santana's eyes lit up. "Berry, I think I have a plan."

x

The night before the so-called wedding, Rachel was feeling extremely jittery. She needed Santana's plan (although she wasn't exactly sure what the latina was up to) to work, otherwise she would be stuck marrying a man she despised, while she watched the love of her life marry her sister.

Finn had come over for a few hours that night and they laid together under the willow tree in Rachel's back yard and watched the stars. Rachel introduced Finn to the constellations one by one as Finn stroked her hair lovingly, tell her she was his star.

They were both dreading and anticipating the day ahead as they kissed goodnight in the moonlight, Finn assuring her that things would be ok.

"I'm not letting you marry that creep, Baby-doll. You're meant to be with me, even if we have to leave our family's to do so." Finn assured her. "I love you, and I'll see you in the morning. I'm sure despite everything, you'll still look beautiful."

Rachel whispered that she loved him and hugged him with all her might before she watched him go.

Santana's plan had to work or she would lose everything she had worked so hard for in her life. Her family, her freedom, her love.

xx

So sorry it took this long to post this. I've had most of it written for a while, but I just finished it. As most of you have probably guessed the story is coming to an end soon. In fact the next chapter is the last before the epilogue, and it's going to be kind of a doozy.

Hope you all enjoyed this story and if you could, please leave me a review :) It means a lot. And hey if anyone has a tumblr, the link for my page is in my profile and I'm always looking for new people to talk to. Most of what I post is about Finchel and Monchele, so if your into that (which considering you're reading this story, I'm guessing you are) then i'd lot to chat.

Thanks so much :)


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The big day finally arrived and Rachel woke up with butterflies in her chest, except they weren't the good kind, and it honestly felt more like hornets than butterflies. She still hadn't heard from Santana and the wedding was set to begin in a couple hours.

Her mother had her up at the crack of dawn in order to get her ready for what she was sure would be the biggest day of her life. Rachel just wasn't sure whether it would be the best day of her life or not.

"Rachel dear, hold still." Shelby said as she brushed through her daughter's long, dark wavy hair.

Rachel squirmed a little more in her seat just to annoy her mother. She hadn't been on speaking terms with either of her parents for the past few days, and she wasn't about to start now.

"Honestly darling, I wish you would just accept that this is what we think is best for you. The Ben Israel's are a wealthy, well known family in town and they will be able to take care of you and any future children you may have." Shelby tried to assure her daughter.

Rachel felt the bile rise in the back of her throat at the thought of having to carry Jacob's children. She wanted children, of course, but children with Finn and further down the road. She wasn't ready to be a mother before the age of 20, she had things she wished to do and see first. New York City being first on her list. It was the most progressive city of the time and Rachel was sure she, and Finn, would fit right in.

A knock at the door interrupted Shelby's continued rants about Rachel's attitude.

"You may come in." Shelby answered.

Santana walked into the room and forced a smile onto her face at the sight of Rachel. She had agreed to stand up by Rachel's side at the altar, just as Maggie would stand by Brittany.

"Good morning Santana." Shelby smiled cheerfully to her daughter's long time best friend. "Thank you for agreeing to come on such a short notice."

Santana shrugged. "It's fine. Rachel's my closest friend, so of course I want to be there for her." She winked at Rachel, who smiled inwardly. She could tell Santana's plan was off to a good start, and it reassured her a little more.

"Mrs. Schuester, do you mind if I have a word with Rachel?" Santana asked politely.

Shelby smiled and nodded, leaning forward to place a kiss on the crown of her daughter's head.

"Santana, what's going on? What did you do?" Rachel asked as soon as Santana had shut the door of her bedroom.

"It's ok Rach, I figured things out." Santana said.

"Did you convince Judge Figgins not to marry us?" Rachel questioned.

Santana laughed. "Oh yeah, there's no way he's going to allow you to marry Ben Israel and for Finn to marry Brittany. He even agreed to keep the new arrangement a secret until the wedding."

"What new arrangement?" Rachel asked.

"You'll see." Santana smirked, knowing she was driving her friend crazy. "I promise everything will work out, you just have to relax a little."

Rachel sighed in annoyance, but let it go for now. "What did you have to do to get him to agree?"

"A little blackmail." Santana laughed mischievously. "It comes in handy once in a while."

"What did you use against him?"

"Lets just say I threatened to tell his wife about the affair going on between he and his Mrs. O'hare." Santana said. "I got them doing a lot more than just kissing when I was at the Town Hall with my father a couple of months ago. My father saw them as well, but never said anything."

"Mrs. O'hare as in the town librarian?" Rachel asked.

Santana nodded. "Seems being a widow didn't stop her from controlling her urges."

Rachel made a face at that. "That's vulgar Santana."

The latina shrugged. "Just stating what I saw with my own two eyes."

"I always kind of thought she was a harlot." Rachel admitted. "I do feel bad about putting her in this position though."

Santana shrugged. "As long as Judge Figgins follows through, nobody else besides us will have to know."

Rachel nodded just as Shelby entered once again to finish helping Rachel get ready, asking Santana to go get her dress on as well.

xx

The two hours past in the blink of an eye and before anyone knew it, the wedding was just moments away.

Rachel kept trying to ignore Jacob's leering look everytime she made a move. Wasn't it considered bad luck to see the bride before the wedding? She kept peering around the corner into the small church, hoping to catch a glimpse of Finn in his suit. She knew he would look devastatingly handsome, but she didn't expect him to give her this feeling of extreme heat pulsing throughout her body. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt before and it was a little unsettling, yet pleasant at the same time.

"Rachel dear, are you ready?" Her father asked as he walked over to her with a smile on his face. It was like he completely forgot that the past few days had even happened.

Rachel bit her lip, but nodded at the same time, still refusing to speak to him despite the fact that she knew she was being a little childish. She reluctantly placed her hand on his arm as he lead both her and Brittany down the aisle. Brittany looked even more nervous than Rachel did and Rachel felt terrible for her older sister. Brittany still had such a childlike innocence about her that it seemed like a crime for forcing her to marry someone she did not love.

Rachel noticed the way Finn didn't take his eyes off her (well neither did Jacob, but she ignored him). She smiled slightly at Finn as she watched him mouth the words _I love you and it's going to be alright_ to her. She nodded a little at him, to show she understood.

Rachel saw Santana watching them with a big smirk on her face. She really had to wonder what her best friend was up to. As soon as they got to the front of the aisle, Finn walked right over to her at the same time that Jacob did. Rachel was so confused as she watched Santana take Brittany by the arm and lead her away from the group.

"What is the meaning of this?" Will very nearly spat in Finn's direction.

Finn stood his guard, and ignored the anger in the older man's voice. "I'm marrying her." He said simply, taking Rachel's hand, giving her a reassuring smile and squeeze.

Rachel beamed. So Santana had let Finn in on whatever her plan was?

"Um excuse me, I don't know if you remember, but I'm her fiance." Jacob said in his annoyingly nasal voice. "Her father has agreed to give her to me and only to me."

"You talk about her as if she's a possession." Finn said, his eyes darkening. "She's a person, a person with more wits and smarts than anyone I know. She knows what she wants and deserves to get it, and what she wants is me."

Rachel nodded to show he was right.

"I'm sorry to cut into your fantasy Mr. Hudson, but Mr. Ben Israel is right, Rachel is supposed to marry him and you are to marry Brittany." Will said.

"Actually that is where you are wrong Mr. Schuester." Judge Figgins finally spoke up. "I am not marrying Mr. Ben Israel to any of these women. In fact, Mr. Ben Israel is under arrest for forgery, as well as his father. These men are to be taken into custody right away."

"What?" Will asked in shock.

"I won't go into details, but it involves a very important contract and the consequences of their actions will see these two me in prison for a very long time. I have been waiting for months to see these two men pay for their crimes, and now sees like the perfect time to arrest them." Judge Figgins narrowed his eyes at the Ben Israels and then glanced at Santana as well.

Rachel looked over to Santana to see if this was a part of her plan, but she looked just as shocked as anyone. Either she was an excellent actress, or she really had no idea.

Will sighed, clearly shocked by the news, but he knew there was nothing that could be done as Jacob and his father were cuffed an led away, Jacob shouting all the way. "Alright than I suppose our deal is off then, Rachel will not be marrying anyone today."

Rachel smiled widely, doing nothing to hide her true feelings, although she couldn't deny the fact that she was angry that her father seemed to not have a care in the world for her well being or happiness. He was treating this situation as if she was up for auction, which in his mind was probably the case.

"However, that doesn't mean that Brittany will not still be marrying Mr. Hudson." Will added.

Rachel frowned. Her father was still set on that? Couldn't he see what this was doing to both Rachel and Brittany?

"Again you are wrong." Judge Figgins said. "I have met with Mr. Hudson's Aunt Sue Sylvester, and negotiated a new compromise. We agreed that if she allowed Finn to be married to the woman of his choice, I would not arrest her for her involvement in some very illegal activities that both she and her business have been involved in. I have gotten word via a telegram from the police detachment in Toledo warning me of Miss Sylvester's past."

Rachel looked at Santana and could see the latina was grinning to herself. This was apart of the girls plan. She wondered what Santana had on Sue. Santana had always been very good at getting information about other people on very short notice, especially if they were involved in anything illegal. Her father was a good of many people in law enforcement and Santana had always wanted to be a lawyer someday, if she ever got the chance, and Rachel knew she would be a good one.

"So that is it then? There is nothing we can do?" Will questioned furiously.

"Actually there is one thing." Finn spoke up, keeping a tight hold of Rachel's hand. "You could allow me the honor of marrying your daughter, Rachel."

Will swallowed and shook his head stubbornly. "I'm afraid that is not an option here Mr. Hudson."

Tears welled in Rachel's eyes as she angrily wiped them away. "Why ever not father? Finn is a good man with a good heart, he will give me a good life and he loves me, don't you want me to be happy?"

Will looked at Rachel with fury on his face. "That's enough Rachel, your mother and I will speak to you about your manners at the house."

"I am not a child, I do not have to listen to you placate me any longer. I think it is in my best interest to take Quinn's lead and say goodbye to this family. I no longer wish to be your daughter, not if it means taking me from the man I love."

Shelby's eyes widened as she saw the desperation in her daughter's eyes. "Will." She half-whispered. "Please listen to her."

"Shelby, we cannot allow her to be so disobedient, what kind of wife will that disobedient attitude make her?"

Shelby very nearly slapped her husband across the face. "You will not speak of my daughter that way. Rachel is a good girl with a good head on her shoulders, if she loves this man enough to sacrifice her family, I say we allow her to marry him. She deserves a happy life."

Rachel beamed at her mother. For so long she had thought it was her mother's traditional ideals that controlled her father's actions, but listening to Shelby now, she knew she was wrong. Her mother really did have her best interest at heart.

"Shelby." Will sighed feeling utterly exhausted by the twist of events.

"If you refuse to see Rachel's side of things, then I'm afraid I must step in as her only legal parent. Will, you never officially adopted her and Rachel never officially took your name, therefore you legally have no right to her. If she wants to marry Mr. Hudson, I am giving her my blessing." Shelby said, feeling more in control than she had in years. She typically wasn't one to go against her husband's wishes, but this was a special case.

She looked over at her daughter and gave her the go-ahead by giving her a hug and whispering that she loved her and that she was sorry in her ear. Rachel pulled away and repeated her mother's words, ignoring her father completely and walking over to take Finn by the hand once again.

She lead Finn to the altar, feeling extremely relieved and happy all at once. Never had she felt this content. As Finn looked at her, right in the eyes, and said his vows, she knew in this marriage, she would be treated as an equal. In this marriage she would be loved and happy. This was the start of a new beginning in her life and in her eyes, a new beginning in the world and quite frankly, she couldn't wait to be a apart of it.

There you have it, the end! Stay tuned for the epilogue which should be up shortly.


	17. Epilogue

Chapter 16 – Epilogue

One year later…

"Here we are, home sweet home." Finn said as he carried his tiny wife over the threshold of their new home in New York City. Rachel couldn't believe the drastic turn her life had taken in a matter of a year. One year ago she was terrified she would be forced to be married to a man she despised. She was scared she would be forced into a marriage where she would be continuously objectified and used on a daily basis. Now she was married to the love of her life, a man she knew would treat her as an equal and who looked at her like she was the center of his world.

After the wedding, Finn and Rachel immediately went back to the Schuester residence to collect Rachel's belongings and to have a congratulatory celebration with her family. Shelby, Maggie and Brittany were grateful that Rachel hadn't turned her back on them. Will had eventually come around and gave them his blessing for their marriage. Finn wasn't sure, but he thought Shelby had a great deal to do with that. The more he saw them together, the more he realized just how similar Rachel was to her mother. It was like seeing what she would be like in 20 years. A strong-willed, intelligent, courageous woman.

Finn and Rachel left Lima a few days later and traveled to Toledo where they settled for a while so Finn could tie up some loose ends and deal with his crazy Aunt Sue. He managed to save some more money and received what was left of the Trustfund from his parents. The money they had would be enough to move and settle down in New York, so Finn and Rachel once again packed up and made the move, their final move to New York. They found a small home in the area of Manhattan which was an up and coming urban center and moved in right away.

"Can you believe we're finally here?" Rachel asked her husband later that night as they laid in bed after an evening of passionate love-making.

"It's right where we should be, where we belong." Finn smiled. "Where you belong."

"I already love it here. I think I can really make a difference here, Finn." Rachel beamed. "People won't judge me like they did back home."

Finn gave her a sympathetic smile and kissed her sweetly. "Sleep now love, our new life is just beginning.

X

The months passed and Finn and Rachel got even more settled into their new home and city and even developed a routine. Finn worked as the editor for the local newspaper, _The Times, _and Rachel joined a women's group who were interested in obtaining more rights for women and equality for all. She didn't know if it was something that would be achieved in her lifetime, but she loved that she felt like she was making a difference. Finn was right, she did fit in here. They fit here.

X

"Finn, you can't do that now. I told you my breasts are tender." Rachel slapped her husband's wandering hands away one night.

"Rachel, your breasts have been tender for weeks, you've been getting sick every day, are you sure you're ok?" Finn asked.

Rachel had to bite back a smile at his concerned expression. "I assure you darling, I am fine. Actually I think I know precisely what is wrong with me."

Finn's eyes widened. "What is it? Are you ill?"

"Finn, I think I'm with-child."

"You're having a baby?" He shrieked as he leaped off the bed, taking the majority of the sheets with him.

"We're having a baby." Rachel corrected.

"Oh my god." He exclaimed as he grabbed her and lifted her from the bed and spun her around in circles.

"Finn, I don't think this is good for our child." Rachel laughed as he immediately settled her down.

"I'm so sorry." He said as he bent down and kissed her flat stomach. "Are you sure you're ok?"

Rachel grinned and nodded. "Fine. I couldn't be happier if I tried. I've always wanted children with you, you know that."

"This little one will be more spoiled than any child ever conceived." Finn determined.

"But not too spoiled. We don't want he or she to become a trouble maker." Rachel reminded him.

"True." Finn conceded. "But they will be loved so very much."

"So much." Rachel agreed as she kissed her husband again. "Now I don't know about you, but we were in the middle of something, were we not?"

"Rachel, we can't do that." Finn shook his head. "Won't it hurt the baby?"

Rachel laughed. "No I think the baby will be just fine."

X

A knock at the door one evening interrupted Finn and Rachel's dinner. Rachel, who was now 7 months pregnant, could barely move so Finn answered the door and was shocked when he saw who it was.

"Mr. Puckerman." Finn greeted his old friend happily. "What a surprise." He then noticed the blonde woman standing behind him, holding a young girl in her arms. The little girl couldn't be more than 2 years old. "Quinn. Come in." Finn said in shock. He honestly didn't know if they would see Quinn and Noah again.

"Quinn?" Rachel asked as she stared in shock at her older sister, the one she had missed more than anything.

"Rachel!" Quinn exclaimed and placed the toddler on the ground and ran over to her sister. "I've missed you so much."

Rachel tried to control her tears as she clung to her sister. "I've missed you too."

"You're pregnant." Quinn said as she pulled away. "Heavily so."

"I'm 7 months along." Rachel told her. "Finn's gigantic genes are to blame for my size."

"Congratulations, I'm so happy for you two." Quinn hugged her again.

"Is she yours?" Rachel asked when she noticed the little girl looking in their direction curiously.

Quinn nodded and smiled. "Rachel, this is your niece Beth."

The little girl looked at her Aunt and gave her a small wave. Quinn called her over and Rachel immediately pulled the beautiful little girl into her arms for a hug and peppered her face with kisses. "Hi Beth."

Beth giggled and hugged her Aunt, who she had been told about, back. "Auntie Rachie."

"You know who I am?" Rachel gasped in shock.

Beth nodded. "Mama told me bout you."

Rachel smiled at her sister. "Well it's sure nice to meet you." She turned the tiny girl in her arms to face Finn. "That enormous man over there by your Papa is your Uncle Finn and I'm sure he's going to spoil you silly."

Finn nodded and bent down to greet the girl, who seemed immediately taken with him.

"You are staying in town right?" Rachel asked hopefully.

Quinn nodded. "We actually moved here permanently. Noah got a job as a carpenter."

"That's great." Rachel smiled at her brother-in-law.

"How did you guys find us?" Finn asked.

"Long story short, after what happened at your wedding, my father sought us out and apologized for everything. He told us what happened and told us you'd left town and were on your way here." Quinn explained.

"I ran into your brother Kurt, Finn, in Toledo and he told us where you lived, so here we are." Noah explained.

"I'm so glad to have you back." Rachel said as she pulled her sister into a hug again.

"Me too." Quinn said. "Now our children can grow up together."

"So Finn, what are you hoping for?" Noah asked. "Boy or girl?"

Finn shrugged as he watched Beth play. "Either, as long as their healthy. Rach has her heart set on a boy though. She wants to name him Christopher after my Dad."

"A boy would be good. Girls are hard to handle sometimes." Noah laughed.

"I don't know, I think a little Rachel would be adorable." Finn said. "Who knows, we both want a big family someday.

And approximately 4 weeks later, Christopher William Hudson made his way into the world. Rachel and Finn both hoped that he would grow up in a world where equality was of great importance and where society didn't dictate who you could love or spend time with. They hoped for a better world for their son and for future generations.

Xx

The End.

Thank you all for reading this story. I loved writing it and I'm glad people seemed to enjoy it. To those who reviewed, they mean so much…thank you!


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